A new podcast from Decorah-based Seed Savers Exchange is asking listeners to look beyond the grocery aisle—and beyond the garden—to understand how food reaches their plates. The organization’s third Sowing Connections episode, titled “What Shapes What We Eat?”, examines the connections among seed genetics, agriculture, industry marketing and food policy.
The 41-minute, 43-second episode is aimed at gardeners, farmers and shoppers interested in how food moves from seeds to grocery-store shelves. Seed Savers Exchange published it as part of its ongoing discussion of food, agriculture and the preservation of plant varieties.
Why seed diversity matters
The episode begins with field notes about Seed Savers Exchange’s work maintaining open-pollinated seeds. The Decorah organization uses careful isolation practices to keep varieties true to type while protecting their genetic diversity for future generations.
That work is presented as more than a preservation project. The podcast explains that the seeds gardeners and farmers save, share and grow can influence the variety and resilience of the food system over time. For growers, preserving a plant variety today can help maintain future choices for communities.
From seed preservation, the discussion moves into the economic and political forces that influence diets and grocery selections. Topics include industrial agriculture, food policy, ultra-processed foods and food-industry marketing.
Marion Nestle discusses food policy
The featured guest is Marion Nestle, identified by Seed Savers Exchange as a nutritionist, consumer advocate, award-winning author and academic. Her work focuses on the politics of food and dietary choice, including the scientific, economic and social forces that affect what people eat and how those decisions connect to health.
Nestle’s segment focuses especially on marketing. The conversation challenges the idea that dietary decisions are solely an individual responsibility, examining how industry practices and public policy can shape those decisions.
The episode also considers possible steps for gardeners, farmers, communities and policymakers seeking a healthier, more resilient food system. It describes change as a shared effort involving the varieties people grow, the markets they support and the policies governing production and promotion.
The Corgi pea provides a local example
The closing segment features the Corgi pea, described as a sweet and versatile heirloom variety in the Seed Savers Exchange collection. The pea illustrates the episode’s broader argument: the future of the food system begins with the varieties people choose to save, share and grow.
Listeners can access the episode through the Seed Savers Exchange podcast webpage, YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Nestle’s conversation begins at 6:25, while the Corgi pea segment starts at 39:23. Seed Savers Exchange also provides access to a collection of thousands of varieties and information about requesting the pea.
Decorah Today reported the episode’s release on August 22, 2026, at 4 p.m., and updated the report on August 23.