Don't Waste Good Food: Food Insecurity and Climate Crisis in the Caribbean with Sian Cuffey-Young

In this powerful and eye-opening episode of Straight Talking Sustainability, host Emma Burlow sits down with Sian Cuffey-Young, founder of SAEL Environmental in Trinidad and Tobago, to explore the intersection of food waste, food security, and climate action in Caribbean island states.

With 20 years of experience in waste management and a mission statement that "waste is sexy," Sian brings infectious energy and unflinching honesty to one of the most overlooked sustainability challenges: the fact that our largest waste stream receives the least attention whilst people go hungry.

Sian's journey into food waste began with composting education, which she loved, but she deliberately avoided the broader food waste challenge for years. Everything changed when Trinidad and Tobago released waste characterisation study results showing food and organic waste had increased from 27% to 33% of the waste stream over a decade.

Under those results, a woman commented, "I wish I had some of that food to feed my family." That single statement crystallised Sian's mission.

As she explains, the Caribbean region can feed itself six times over according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, yet food insecurity persists whilst good food is deliberately soiled with disinfectant and disposed of by supermarkets practicing "soil and dump" policies to avoid liability.

The conversation reveals the unique challenges of sustainability work in island states with limited land space, voluntary rather than mandatory waste separation, and funding heavily skewed towards plastic waste initiatives because "that's where the money is coming from."

Sian describes food and organic waste as sitting "quietly undiscovered in the corner" despite being the largest waste stream, receiving minimal attention compared to highly visible plastics pollution.

This funding imbalance forces social entrepreneurs like Sian to look outside the region for support, connect with international networks, and get creative with limited resources whilst addressing society's most fundamental need: feeding people.

Throughout the episode, Sian candidly discusses the reality of running a social enterprise in the environmental services sector, including experiencing her toughest financial year in a decade of operation.

She describes feeling "forgotten" as a small service-based business competing against larger companies for contracts, constantly applying for highly competitive grants where all Caribbean organisations compete for the same limited funding pool, and questioning whether she should switch from food waste back to plastics where money flows more freely.

Yet every time she prays and asks whether she is in the right space, the answer remains the same: "You need to stay here."

Emma and Sian explore the systemic barriers preventing progress, including the absence of Good Samaritan laws in most Caribbean islands (only the Bahamas and Barbados have them), the lack of food waste legislation making separation mandatory, companies hiding behind liability concerns rather than finding workarounds for food donation, and the political cycle of starting and stopping initiatives whenever governments change.

Sian's travels to China, the United States, and throughout the Caribbean provide perspective on what is possible, from smaller plates in Chinese hotels designed to reduce waste to comprehensive food waste reduction programmes in other regions, but returning home often brings deflation when implementation proves difficult.

The conversation takes an inspiring turn when Sian shares what sustains her through the hard years: her faith, her husband's unwavering support ("the biggest pom poms out of all the husbands in the world"), and wanting her children to see their mother pursue something she is passionate about even when it is hard.

Her philosophy of "don't take no for an answer" comes from years working in mining where she persisted in asking companies to store topsoil near rehabilitation sites rather than three metres down the road, gradually winning them over through patient, persistent education about doing things better.

Sian introduces her "Do Waste Good Food" programme, inspired by a local Trinidad saying: "Better belly burst than good food waste".

Whether in restaurants, at home, or in professional settings, ask "Why would you waste good food?" This simple question, repeated across society, can shift the mindset away from indulgence and gluttony towards recognition that wasting food whilst others go hungry is fundamentally wrong.

Looking ahead, Sian's vision includes securing food waste legislation in the Caribbean (either additions to existing laws or new policy), building connections with hotel associations to address the significant volumes from all-inclusive resorts using large buffets, and implementing strategies like smaller plates that she observed working effectively in China.

She emphasises the critical need for champions inside organisations who can call her name in rooms she is not in, saying "There's this girl on LinkedIn who's been talking about this stuff all the time, has anybody reached out to her?"

The episode concludes with Sian channelling one of her heroes, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley, whose unapologetic truth-telling about climate realities inspires Sian's approach to content creation.

She is not trying to cause controversy or intentionally raise conflict; she is simply stating facts with intention: people need to do better, they need to not waste good food. Her parting wisdom: "It's not always about doing things better, but sometimes we simply need to do better things."

In this Caribbean food waste and sustainability entrepreneurship episode, you'll discover:

1. Why food and organic waste is the largest waste stream but receives the least attention and funding
2. How the Caribbean region can feed itself six times over, yet food insecurity persists
3. The practice of "soil and dump", where supermarkets deliberately spoil good food before disposal
4. Why funding flows heavily to plastics initiatives, whilst food waste work struggles for resources
5. The critical connection between food waste and food security that national conversations ignore
6. How voluntary waste separation (versus mandatory) fundamentally changes behaviour change potential
7. The challenges of running environmental service businesses versus product-based companies
8. Why champions inside organisations who "call your name in rooms you're not in" are essential
9. The power of challenging people on food waste with one simple question: "Why would you waste good food?"
10. How smaller plates and intentional design reduce buffet waste in hospitality settings

Key Food Waste and Sustainability Insights:

(02:58) Choosing the hard path: "I chose food and organic waste... It sits quietly undiscovered in the corner. It's our largest waste stream, but it's the one that gets the least amount of attention."

(06:49) Following the funding: "There's a lot of focus on plastics... And for me, the reason why there is such a focus is because that's where the money is coming from. That's where the funders want to put their money."

(08:48) The moment of clarity: "I remember there was a lady who posted under the results that, I wish I had some of that food to feed my family. And then in that moment, if I was unclear, I became very, very clear."

(11:20) Soil and dump practice: "They take the good food, they soil it with some kind of disinfectant, bleach, whatever, make it inedible, and then dispose of it. Like, why? Why we do that? It boggles my mind."

(12:45) The missing connection: "The connection between food waste and food security, it's never made with the food security conversation, not ever... The region itself can feed itself six times over."

(22:53) Staying power sources: "My stick-to-itiveness is as a result of a couple of things. One, my faith. Two, my husband... And wanting my children to see their mom pursue something that she's passionate about even when it's hard."

(23:49) Financial reality: "Financially, this has been my toughest year. I have never been in this scenario in the 10 years, even when I just started."

(25:53) Feeling forgotten: "As a social entrepreneur, as somebody running a business that is also about solving an environmental challenge, I often feel like we are... feeling as though only when you have a big company... then you get the access to the resources."

(31:42) Learning through travel: "When I travel, I always remember that I'm a sponge when I travel, I absorb as much as I can... It reinvigorates me."

(36:48) Champions matter: "We always need people inside of their own organisations who can shed light on the work that we're doing... I'm so really thankful for the people who have...