
Episode 135
‘The Food Supply Chain is Breaking’: Food Security During a Global Pandemic | Lowell Randel

Episode 135
Lowell Randel
‘The Food Supply Chain is Breaking’: Food Security During a Global Pandemic | Lowell Randel
summary
In Episode 135 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Lowell Randel, Vice President of Government and Legal Affairs for the Global Cold Chain Alliance, which serves as the voice of the cold chain industry, representing 1,300 member companies in over 85 countries. The two discuss the impact that COVID-19 and the government shutdowns have had on food supply chains, processing facilities, and the industrial farm sector.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant shifts in consumer demand away from food service businesses like restaurants and towards foot retail outlets like supermarkets and groceries. Food industry players are in turn looking to adapt, redirecting products originally destined for the food service sector to retail instead. This has created challenges for farmers that have led, in some cases, to the euthanization of livestock and the wholesale destruction of crops ready for harvest.
This episode uses the crisis caused by COVID-19 and the government mandated shutdowns in order to understand the vulnerabilities of our food supply networks with an eye on finding ways to improve their resiliency going forward.
You can access my conversation with TeslaCharts & Georgia Owell, as well as the transcript and rundown to this week’s episode through the Hidden Forces Supercast Page. All subscribers gain access to our overtime feed, which can be easily added to your favorite podcast application.
Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas
Editor & Engineer: Stylianos Nicolaou
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bio
Lowell Randel currently serves as Vice President of Government and Legal Affairs for the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA). He is responsible for advancing the industry’s interests with the U.S. Congress and Administration and helps association members deal with regulatory compliance. Lowell has over 24 years of experience working on food and agriculture issues in Washington, DC ranging from private sector representation to government service. Prior to joining GCCA, Lowell served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).While in this role, Lowell worked closely with the Secretary of Agriculture and across all USDA agencies to coordinate legislative policy and functioned as a primary contact between the Department and Congress. Lowell holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and master’s degree in agricultural development, both from Texas A&M University. He also holds a Juris Doctorate from George Mason University School of Law.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Varietates autem iniurasque fortunae facile veteres philosophorum praeceptis instituta vita superabat. Ut in geometria, prima si dederis, danda sunt omnia. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Nunc haec primum fortasse audientis servire debemus. Ab hoc autem quaedam non melius quam veteres, quaedam omnino relicta. Cuius similitudine perspecta in formarum specie ac dignitate transitum est ad honestatem dictorum atque factorum.
Si quidem, inquit, tollerem, sed relinquo. Eaedem res maneant alio modo. Si stante, hoc natura videlicet vult, salvam esse se, quod concedimus; Nec vero sum nescius esse utilitatem in historia, non modo voluptatem.
Quem Tiberina descensio festo illo die tanto gaudio affecit, quanto L. Itaque hic ipse iam pridem est reiectus; Summum a vobis bonum voluptas dicitur. Mihi, inquam, qui te id ipsum rogavi? Ergo ita: non posse honeste vivi, nisi honeste vivatur? Quid enim de amicitia statueris utilitatis causa expetenda vides. Verum esto: verbum ipsum voluptatis non habet dignitatem, nec nos fortasse intellegimus.
Age nunc isti doceant, vel tu potius quis enim ista melius? Quid de Platone aut de Democrito loquar? Hoc dixerit potius Ennius: Nimium boni est, cui nihil est mali. Sed mehercule pergrata mihi oratio tua. Sint modo partes vitae beatae. Utrum igitur tibi litteram videor an totas paginas commovere? Nec lapathi suavitatem acupenseri Galloni Laelius anteponebat, sed suavitatem ipsam neglegebat; Quae cum dixisset, finem ille. Cum sciret confestim esse moriendum eamque mortem ardentiore studio peteret, quam Epicurus voluptatem petendam putat.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ex rebus enim timiditas, non ex vocabulis nascitur. Neutrum vero, inquit ille. Cum sciret confestim esse moriendum eamque mortem ardentiore studio peteret, quam Epicurus voluptatem petendam putat. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Longum est enim ad omnia respondere, quae a te dicta sunt. Sit hoc ultimum bonorum, quod nunc a me defenditur; Res enim concurrent contrariae. Quid de Platone aut de Democrito loquar?
Si enim ad populum me vocas, eum. Tu autem negas fortem esse quemquam posse, qui dolorem malum putet. Idem etiam dolorem saepe perpetiuntur, ne, si id non faciant, incidant in maiorem. Itaque et vivere vitem et mori dicimus arboremque et novellan et vetulam et vigere et senescere. Graece donan, Latine voluptatem vocant. Si quicquam extra virtutem habeatur in bonis.
Quorum sine causa fieri nihil putandum est. De hominibus dici non necesse est. At iam decimum annum in spelunca iacet. Ut id aliis narrare gestiant? Audio equidem philosophi vocem, Epicure, sed quid tibi dicendum sit oblitus es. Ut in geometria, prima si dederis, danda sunt omnia. Sed quid minus probandum quam esse aliquem beatum nec satis beatum? Deinde disputat, quod cuiusque generis animantium statui deceat extremum. Sed eum qui audiebant, quoad poterant, defendebant sententiam suam. Quid dubitas igitur mutare principia naturae?
Putabam equidem satis, inquit, me dixisse. Quam tu ponis in verbis, ego positam in re putabam. Quae in controversiam veniunt, de iis, si placet, disseramus. In motu et in statu corporis nihil inest, quod animadvertendum esse ipsa natura iudicet? Utinam quidem dicerent alium alio beatiorem! Iam ruinas videres.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sin laboramus, quis est, qui alienae modum statuat industriae? Vos autem cum perspicuis dubia debeatis illustrare, dubiis perspicua conamini tollere. Quamquam te quidem video minime esse deterritum. Si enim ita est, vide ne facinus facias, cum mori suadeas.
Aliud igitur esse censet gaudere, aliud non dolere. Cur post Tarentum ad Archytam? Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Certe, nisi voluptatem tanti aestimaretis. Quamquam tu hanc copiosiorem etiam soles dicere. Facete M. Quodsi ipsam honestatem undique pertectam atque absolutam. Quis non odit sordidos, vanos, leves, futtiles?
At multis malis affectus. Sed quot homines, tot sententiae; Facile est hoc cernere in primis puerorum aetatulis.
Quarum ambarum rerum cum medicinam pollicetur, luxuriae licentiam pollicetur. Quodsi vultum tibi, si incessum fingeres, quo gravior viderere, non esses tui similis; Deinde prima illa, quae in congressu solemus: Quid tu, inquit, huc? Nihilo beatiorem esse Metellum quam Regulum. Progredientibus autem aetatibus sensim tardeve potius quasi nosmet ipsos cognoscimus. Quaesita enim virtus est, non quae relinqueret naturam, sed quae tueretur. Nunc vero a primo quidem mirabiliter occulta natura est nec perspici nec cognosci potest. Ego quoque, inquit, didicerim libentius si quid attuleris, quam te reprehenderim.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Tubulum fuisse, qua illum, cuius is condemnatus est rogatione, P. Haec igitur Epicuri non probo, inquam. Animi enim quoque dolores percipiet omnibus partibus maiores quam corporis. An nisi populari fama? Si mala non sunt, iacet omnis ratio Peripateticorum. Immo alio genere; Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Sapiens autem semper beatus est et est aliquando in dolore; Videamus animi partes, quarum est conspectus illustrior;
Laboro autem non sine causa; Si quicquam extra virtutem habeatur in bonis. Que Manilium, ab iisque M. Mihi enim erit isdem istis fortasse iam utendum. Scaevola tribunus plebis ferret ad plebem vellentne de ea re quaeri. Nummus in Croesi divitiis obscuratur, pars est tamen divitiarum. Beatus sibi videtur esse moriens.
Si stante, hoc natura videlicet vult, salvam esse se, quod concedimus; Nam Pyrrho, Aristo, Erillus iam diu abiecti. Post enim Chrysippum eum non sane est disputatum. Num igitur eum postea censes anxio animo aut sollicito fuisse? Sed haec quidem liberius ab eo dicuntur et saepius. Sin te auctoritas commovebat, nobisne omnibus et Platoni ipsi nescio quem illum anteponebas? Itaque his sapiens semper vacabit. Pollicetur certe.
Cum ageremus, inquit, vitae beatum et eundem supremum diem, scribebamus haec. Negat enim summo bono afferre incrementum diem. Quid enim de amicitia statueris utilitatis causa expetenda vides. Est tamen ea secundum naturam multoque nos ad se expetendam magis hortatur quam superiora omnia. Omnium enim rerum principia parva sunt, sed suis progressionibus usa augentur nec sine causa;