This Hydrogen Developer Is Trying To Take Food Systems Off-Grid

BusinessFood & DrinkThis Hydrogen Developer Is Trying To Take Food Systems Off-GridByDaphne Ewing-Chow,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Stories about food & agriculture through the lens of climate changeFollow AuthorJun 06, 2026, 09:53pm EDTAUSTIN, TEXAS - MAY 11 2026: An employee restocks eggs at an H-E-B grocery store on May 11, 2026 in Austin, Texas. The U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) suggests that rising fuel prices may be beginning to weigh on wholesale margins, as ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz continue to strain global energy markets. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)Getty ImagesFrom his Florida office, Jason Herring, founder and chief executive officer of hydrogen technology company VIVIFY Technology, is closely watching the escalating crisis in the Middle East and assessing its implications for global energy markets and food systems."The latest shock to food prices didn’t start on a farm or a grocery store," he says pointedly. "It started in energy markets."As tensions in the Middle East have raised concerns about oil and fuel supplies, the resulting cost pressures have begun working their way through the global food system.In May 2026, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Price Index was 2.9% higher than a year earlier, with the FAO citing rising energy costs linked to the conflict as a contributing factor. The index has climbed steadily between February and April, reaching its highest level in more than three years.The economic impact is significant. Americans devoted 9.7% of their disposable income to food in 2025, while total U.S. food spending reached $2.51 trillion. With food prices projected to increase by another 3.4% in 2026, even relatively modest increases can add billions of dollars to the nation’s food bill.The time has come to “start seriously thinking about how to increase the absorption capacity of countries, how to increa...