Gina Kiroff was a very creative child who delighted in drawing, painting, and using her imagination. “I loved helping my mom create dishes and the process of cooking with her, building flavors, transforming ingredients, using different techniques, all culminating to an end dish,” says Kiroff.
Gina Kiroff
She remembers baking a pie for her siblings which took all day to make. But they devoured it in a matter of minutes. “It upset me because I wanted it last versus being gobbled up,” she says. “Believe me, this is not my approach today.”
Kiroff took that passion for food and creation into her career. After working in advertising, 16 years ago she joined Unilever leading marketing on many different foods and other products. She currently oversees the Knorr brand for North America and is focused on leading work that makes a positive social impact.
To that end, Kiroff is responsible for overseeing Knorr’s end-to-end business strategy. Her focus is to help the brand take steps towards implementing regenerative practices to source ingredients used in their products. Their mission is to make nutritious food available to everyone, everywhere.
The importance of creating and sustaining heathy soil has come to the forefront. In 2013 the United Nations General Assembly recognized World Soil Day to be celebrated annually on December 5th. According to the FAO, (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), 95% of our food comes from soils. However, 33% of soils have become degraded. And over the past seven decades the amount of nutrients and vitamins in food has drastically decreased.
In honor of World Soil Day and to reflect on what the food industry can do to help maintain healthy agricultural practices to nurture food security, Kiroff was joined by former White House chef Sam Kass at a special dinner in New York City to show the power of regenerative agriculture.
“The dinner you are about to eat costs $72 tonight. In 2050, this exact same meal will cost $566 as the ingredients that we rely on become even more scarce,” said Kass who was the primary chef to the Obama family. Kass was also the first ever senior policy advisor for nutrition and the executive director of Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative.
Kass and Kiroff explained how rice and other key ingredients will likely become rarities, marked at premium price, if today’s conventional agriculture practices persist.“Food is love. Food is how we express ourselves. And if we stay on our current path, our kids and grandkids won’t be able to enjoy what we’re eating here,” said Kass. “Tonight is all about two things: understanding the role of food and agriculture to climate change and committing to an accessible future of food.”
Jeryl Brunner: Why do you believe that regenerative farming and agriculture is so key?
Gina Kiroff: Regenerative agriculture describes farming and grazing practices that, among other benefits, reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity. That results in carbon drawdown, which means carbon dioxide is captured from the atmosphere and locked in the soil. And in turn that improves the water that circulates and interacts with the environment.
Regenerative farming/agriculture is replenishing soil and restoring lands. It is all about thriving and implementing a whole new way to build our ecosystems. Imagine cleaner air to breathe, restored forests, replenished water supplies, more crop yields, secured food supplies, improved habitat and wildlife biodiversity.
Brunner: So what could happen to vegetables?
Kiroff: In the future a vegetable will be less nutritious if the soil has lost nutrients and trace minerals. Modern intensive agricultural methods are causing soil depletion. It has stripped increasing amounts of nutrients from the soil in which the food we eat grows.
Brunner: What is Knorr doing to help the environment?
Kiroff: In 2021, Knorr launched 50 regenerative agriculture projects worldwide, growing our ingredients through practices that help people and the planet thrive, now and in the future. They are giving back more than they take. Our projects build on more than a decade of Knorr’s collaboration with farmers and suppliers, which has led to 95% of its vegetables and herbs now being sustainably sourced, globally.
The Knorr regenerative agriculture roadmap is part of the €1 billion Unilever Climate & Nature Fund, which will accelerate the brand’s work on nature and climate projects. Knorr’s plan will contribute to Unilever’s commitment to help protect and regenerate over 3,700,000 acres of land, forests and oceans by 2030. Key ingredients like vegetables, herbs, spices and grains that are grown using regenerative agriculture principles will be utilized across Knorr's portfolio globally in products sold.
Brunner: Can you suggest some things that people can do to make a more sustainable planet?
Kiroff: There are many ways that individuals can make a difference. It all starts with education, learning about regenerative agriculture and supporting the companies that embrace it. Buy from local farmers and brands who have adopted regenerative agricultural practices. Also, support organizations like non-profits and research organizations who work on regenerative agriculture. Or plant your own regenerative garden.
·
Sam Kass
