The Checkout
Errol Schweizer and Evan Driscoll · Evan Driscoll
Show overview
The Checkout has been publishing since 2021, and across the 4 years since has built a catalogue of 100 episodes. That works out to roughly 60 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 28 min and 47 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Business show.
The catalogue appears to be on hiatus or wound down — the most recent episode landed 1.1 years ago, with no new episodes in over a year. The busiest year was 2022, with 46 episodes published. Published by Evan Driscoll.
From the publisher
Hosted and produced by two Organic food and farming lifers, The Checkout brings forward diverse voices and stories from the frontlines of our food system. Now more than ever, our food system is in a constant state of flux, radical change and crisis. From farm, retail and wholesale sector analyses to public policy, labor organizing and community struggles, The Checkout will expand the horizon for consumers and food industry professionals of what is possible and what is necessary to create a just, equitable and resilient food system.
Latest Episodes
View all 100 episodes
Episode 185: Burlap & Barrel
S1 Ep 184Episode 184: Nasser Abufarha and Canaan Fair Trade
The Checkout speaks with award-winning olive oil producer and fair trader Nasser Abufarha about war, regenerative organic agriculture and the deep foodways of Palestine.
S1 Ep 183Episode 183: Peter Gialantzis of Pod Foods
The Checkout catches up with grocery wholesale wiz Peter Gialantzis about the way that Pod Foods is disrupting this sector.
S1 Ep 182Episode 182: The Regenerative Organic Certification
The Checkout speaks with Elizabeth Whitlow, Executive Director of the Regenerative Organic Alliance.
S1 Ep 181Episode 181: “Shoptalk #2”: Understanding Wholesalers
The Checkout presents “Shoptalk”, a new series co-hosted by grocery expert Eve Cohen. This week we do a deep dive into the wholesale sector, and how the “middle” of the food supply chain really works.
S1 Ep 175Episode 180: “Shoptalk”, with Co-Host Eve Cohen
The Checkout presents “Shoptalk”, a new series co-hosted by grocery expert Eve Cohen. This week we take a broad look at the grocery industry and the inner workings of food retail.
S1 Ep 179Episode 179: George Milton On The UNFI SSA Controversy
The Checkout speaks with CEO and Co-founder of Yellowbird Hot Sauce about a controversial new supplier policy being rolled out by the grocery industry’s largest natural and organic product wholesaler.
S1 Ep 178Episode 178: Robinson-Patman Act 101 with Daniel Hanley
The Checkout does a deep dive on the Robinson-Patman Act with antitrust scholar Daniel Hanley of the Open Markets Institute.
S1 Ep 177Episode 177: Part Two: Mexico Takes on GMO Dogma
The Checkout presents part two of an interview with Timothy Wise on the Mexican resistance to U.S.-grown GMO corn. Mexico’s case rests on science and is a huge challenge to GMO dogma.
S1 Ep 176Episode 176: Part One: The U.S.-Mexico GMO Corn Standoff
The Checkout presents part one of a two part interview with trade policy scholar Timothy Wise on the Mexican resistance to U.S.-grown GMO corn.
S1 Ep 175Episode 175: HEAL Food Alliance Takes On The Farm Bill
The Checkout dives into the Farm Bill with Navina Khanna of HEAL Food Alliance and what food workers want to see in this massive legislation.
S1 Ep 174Episode 174: Phil Howard On Food Industry Consolidation
The Checkout presents this unpublished interview with Phil Howard on how corporate concentration threatens our food supply.
S1 Ep 173Episode 173: Who Wants To Kill The NLRB? With Professor John Logan
The Checkout presents a revealing conversation with labor historian John Logan about how “progressive” companies like Starbucks, Trader Joe’s and Amazon want to gut labor law and make it impossible to form unions.
S1 Ep 172Episode 172: Grocery Update: Reinventing Retail and Food Processing
The Checkout host Errol Schweizer returns with a deep dive grocery update on retail consolidation, scaling cooperatives and reinventing food processing.
S1 Ep 171Episode 171: Austin Frerick Takes On The Grocery Barons
The Checkout speaks with antitrust expert and author Austin Frerick on power, corruption and the need for radical change in the food industry.
S1 Ep 170Episode 170: Magaly Licolli On Stopping Child Labor
The Checkout returns to Arkansas to talk to Magaly Licolli of Venceremos about how workers and faith activists are taking on Big Chicken.
S1 Ep 169Episode 169: Why Your Groceries Are So Damn Expensive
You are not going crazy. Grocery prices are 30% higher than a few years ago. Some categories are up over 50%. And food companies have leveraged global crises to raise prices and rake in huge profits while selling less actually products. What an amazing hustle, if you are an executive or a shareholder! As for the rest of us, we now pay more for less food.
S1 Ep 168Episode 168: Matriark Foods Is Reinventing Food Processing
The Checkout speaks with Anna Hammond of Matriark Foods about food processing, food waste and why packaged food brands need to invest in sustainable, regionalized supply chains.
S1 Ep 167Episode 167: Common Ground
The Checkout speaks with Rebecca and Josh Tickell about their groundbreaking new film, Common Ground.
S1 Ep 166Episode 166: Why A Worker Cooperative “Works For All”
The Checkout speaks with Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin, activist filmmakers who have documented the growth of the Cooperative Movement in Cincinnati in their new film, “Works For All”.