EP23: Learn how Tom McDougall is creating a just and equitable food system

After moving to DC to finish school, he was introduced to business concepts that had been foreign to him: corporate social responsibility, externalized costs, triple-bottom line, social entrepreneurship, true cost accounting, and others. His first job after college had him traveling back and forth to China where he saw first hand what externalized costs really looked like. By producing all of our “stuff” elsewhere, he experienced the impacts it had on people’s lives, the environment, and the social construct of a backyard, far far away. It was a jarring, eye-opening experience for him, one that ultimately led him to launch 4P Foods in an effort to be part of the solution. The triple-bottom line – the concept that in addition to profit, businesses should also measure and be accountable for their impacts on people and the planet – is a huge step forward in business consciousness. But at 4P foods, they want to take things one step further. Businesses must be responsible for their impacts on the environment as well as the people and the communities they work with. They also must be financially solvent, making enough money to pay good wages and invest in innovation. But you can do all of those things and still have a company that at its best, simply isn’t too bad. We believe that companies must also exist for a purpose. Purpose, People, Planet, Profit – The four P’s of 4P Foods. Our Purpose is to create a just and equitable food system in the United States.