Growing up in a small town in Wisconsin, Ben Kuethe Oaks dreamed of becoming a dairy farmer. He spent his youth lending a hand on nearby farms, but what he took home was more than just milk. He saw firsthand the challenges, decisions and hidden factors influencing how we produce, purchase and consume food. This experience sent Ben on a quest to uncover the hidden costs of cheap food. From food deserts in Pittsburgh to food waste in grocery stores, Kuethe Oaks takes us on a journey to rethink the true cost of what’s on our plate. Ben Kuethe Oaks is an executive at Divert Inc., an impact technology company on a mission to Protect the Value of Food™. He has spent the greater part of his life immersed in our food system, whether it be a dairy farm in Wisconsin, a food desert in Pittsburgh, or a restaurant in Maine. Over the past eight years, Ben has focused his attention on grocery stores and solving our food waste problem on a national level. He also works with organizations such as Slow Food and MIT Solve to support food businesses and entrepreneurs in the Northeast. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx