Demand for organic products continue to rise as consumers become increasingly conscientious about their food choices. Indeed, being mindful of the kinds of food and production methods used to produce that food is undeniably essential to creating a better and sustainable food system. But does that mean that we should exclusively eat organic foods? Are all conventional foods bad? Alexina Cather , Deputy Director Hunter College’s New York City Food Policy Center , joins host Jenna Liut to discuss w...
Nov 18, 2018•39 min•Ep. 119
Nitrogen and phosphorus pollution is wreaking havoc on our waterways - notably in the Gulf of Mexico, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Great Lakes - and is getting worse every year. Science journalist Virgina Gewin discusses the extent of the problem, remedies that will drastically improve the sustainability of current farming practices, and what it will take for widespread adoption of these innovative methods. Later in the show, Edible Brooklyn’s Editor-in-Chief Ariel Lauren Wilson joins Jenna in th...
Oct 28, 2018•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 118
The Farm Bill – the primary legislation passed by Congress that sets national nutrition, agriculture and conservation policy – officially expired on October 1st, with no new legislation to take it's place. So, what now? Helena Bottemiller Evich, Senior Food & Ag Reporter at Politico Pro, joins host Jenna Liut to discuss the status of the current bill, the repercussions for our domestic food system, and where we go from here. Powered by Simplecast https://simplecast.com [1]https://www.politic...
Oct 21, 2018•53 min•Ep. 117
The United Nations calls the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria the "the greatest and most urgent global risk," an epidemic that is projected to cost the world $100 trillion (TRILLION) and cause 10 million deaths per year by 2050. For a long time, it was thought that antibiotic resistance was only caused by misuse of these drugs in medicine, but in her book ""Big Chicken: The Incredible Story of How Antibiotics Created Modern Agriculture and Changed the Way the World Eats," author Maryn McKen...
Oct 07, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 116
The abundance and prevalence of CBD products has exploded in recent months – so much so that even Coca-Cola is considering making a line of wellness beverages infused with CBD. With the rapidly changing – and ever confusing – cannabis landscape, journalist Lisa Gill joins host Jenna Liut to shed light on the CBD industry in particular - discussing what it is, how it’s used, and why it has suddenly become so popular. Gill, an expert in the public health and drug field, is the Deputy Editor at Con...
Sep 30, 2018•52 min•Ep. 115
With the renegotiation of NAFTA currently underway and a new trade agreement close to being finalized, host Jenna Liut welcomes author Alyshia Galvez to the show to discuss the repercussions the deal has had on the U.S. and Mexican food system. Alyshia is a Professor of Latin American and Latino studies at Lehman College of the City University of New York, and she is also the author of the recently published book, “Eating NAFTA: Trade, Food Policies and the Destruction of Mexico,” where she exam...
Sep 16, 2018•51 min•Ep. 114
The agriculture industry, including both U.S. farms and agribusiness, has been undergoing widespread and persistent consolidation for decades. And yet, family farms continue to account for most U.S. food production. Those are among the conclusions of "Three Decades of Consolidation in U.S. Agriculture," a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (ERS). At the same time, three mega-mergers between agricultural chemical and seed producers have been underway, w...
Aug 05, 2018•54 min•Ep. 113
In recent weeks, the Novo Dia Group, an Austin-based company that processes approximately 40% of SNAP transactions at farmers markets nationwide, said it will end its service by July 31st, leaving a big gap in the ability for farmers markets to serve low-income customers. Joining Host Jenna Liut to dig deeper into what exactly happened and the repercussions of Nova Dia’s decision is Leah Douglas, Associate Editor and Staff Writer at the Food & Environment Reporting Network who has covered th...
Jul 29, 2018•50 min•Ep. 112
If the 1990s has taught us anything, we know that Kate Moss, Tom Brady, and Kermit the Frog certainly do! And that over 220 billion liters of fluid white milk was estimated to be consumed worldwide in 2016. Indeed, milk is one of those ubiquitous refrigerator staples available in vast quantities anywhere food is sold. And yet, despite its extreme popularity, author Mark Kurlansky refers to it as “the most argued over food in history.” In his new book, “Milk! A 10,000 Year Food Fracas,” Kurlansky...
Jul 22, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 111
Question: What has 3 times the protein, uses 15 times less water, and produces 2,000 times less methane gas than beef? Answer: crickets! Indeed, many believe that insects will be the food of the future, and crickets are one of the most palatable, sustainable, and nutritious options. Robyn Shapiro, CEO and Founder of Seek Food - makers of cricket protein food brands - joins host Jenna Liut to discuss how her company is working to make eating insects more mainstream in the West. Robyn also talks a...
Jul 15, 2018•47 min•Ep. 110
By 2050 we will have 10 billion mouths to feed in a world profoundly altered by environmental change. This of course begs the question – how will we do this? Joining host Jenna Liut with the inside scoop on what factors need to be addressed in order to achieve global food security is Dr. Ken Foster. Ken is an award-winning professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University, where he teaches agricultural price analysis and applied time series analysis. He served as the Head of the Departmen...
Jul 08, 2018•58 min•Ep. 109
Host Jenna Liut is thrlled to welcome Deb Eschmeyer to the show today. A dedicated and passionate food system reformer, Deb's work has included organic farming; co-founding the national nonprofit, FoodCorps; and serving as the Executive Director of Let’s Move! and the Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition in the Obama Administration. Currently, she is the VP of Communications and Community Affairs at Danone North America. In this episode, we will more about how – in each of these roles – she has w...
Jun 24, 2018•50 min•Ep. 108
Michigan, which sits in the middle of one-fifth of the Earth’s surface freshwater and has a higher percentage of surface water than any other American state, has experienced a spate of water related issues in the past few years - from the 2014 Flint water crisis to the Detroit municipality water shutoffs amid a recent announcement from Nestle that it will be increasing the amount of water it bottles and sells from the state. Joining the show today to discuss the current status of these issues an...
Jun 03, 2018•49 min•Ep. 107
Have you ever wondered why most grocery stores – despite the chain – more or less have the same floor plan? Or why candy bars are always available at the cash register? The layout of stores and strategic placement of certain items is the result of a purposeful decision-making progress designed to encourage people to buy more of one thing or another. Often, the items offered for sale tend to have a lower nutritional value – helping to fuel high levels of obesity and diet related disease prevalent...
Apr 08, 2018•44 min•Ep. 106
Jillian Hishaw joins the show to talk about her work as the Founding Director of F.A.R.M.S., a nonprofit located in the South that provides legal services to small farmers and hunger relief services in their community. Her work has largely focused on the aging challenges farmers face, many of which go overlooked and underreported. Host Jenna Liut talks to Jillian about what those issues are, the impact she and her organization have had to date, and what she will be advocating for in the upcoming...
Mar 25, 2018•48 min•Ep. 104
Hemp is a plant that has an enormous opportunity to benefit the american agricultural system in myriad ways and yet has been faced with a series of legal and regulatory issues over the past several decades. Joining the show to give an update on the legality of hemp cultivation in the U.S. and her recent article on the matter, “Hemp is on the Horizon. Will it Change the Game for Farm Country,” is Christina Cooke. Christina is a freelance writer and associate editor at Civil Eats – a daily online ...
Mar 18, 2018•58 min•Ep. 104
Caitlin Dewey, who covers food policy for Wonkblog at the Washington Post, joins the show to talk all about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, one of the most important, successful, and misunderstood welfare programs in the US today. Perhaps because of these misunderstandings, it is often a target, with many lawmakers actively working to dramatically decrease the amount spent on the program and the number of people it supports. Most recently, the Trump Administration has put forward ...
Mar 11, 2018•48 min•Ep. 103
Kara Cook-Schultz from U.S. PIRG joins the show to talk about their recently released report, Reaping What We Sow: How the Practices of Industrial Agriculture Put Our Health and Environment at Risk , that breaks down the problems of industrial agriculture and offers common-sense solutions. Host Jenna Liut is also speaks with Seth Watkins, 4th generation Iowa farmer whose grandmother, Jessie Field Shambaugh, started 4H. Seth offers his experience in implementing the types of sustainable farming p...
Mar 04, 2018•51 min•Ep. 102
Eating Matters welcomes Sam Fromartz, Editor in Chief of the Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN), back to the show to discuss the new, annual survey highlighting the top 10 issues their journalists think will make up the news in 2018. From the fight to control seed technology to antibiotic resistance in livestock to the health risks of Roundup, not to mention the Farm Bill renewal, there will be no shortage of things for us to talk about over the next year! Eating Matters is powered ...
Feb 25, 2018•49 min•Ep. 101
Christine Haughney, food and agriculture writer at Politico, joins the show to talk about her work as the investigative reporter of Rotten, Netflix’s new food crime docu-series. ROTTEN covers some of the “greatest hits” in food crime and fraud and shines a light on the pervasive greed and misconduct behind some of the world’s biggest corporations and the global food production industry. From honey to chicken to cod, this series will surprise and shock you, and hopefully encourage you to become m...
Feb 04, 2018•47 min•Ep. 100
On this episode of Eating Matters , we talk about the Farmer Fair Practices Rules (aka the GIPSA Rules) which, as wonky as it may sound, offers a fascinating look into the surprising process that 97% of chickens are produced in this country. These rules would have made it easier for farmers to sue companies they contract with over unfair, discriminatory or deceptive practices, offering more protecting farmers from abusive practices that advocates say are commonly experienced in their industry. H...
Jan 28, 2018•35 min•Ep. 99
We remember Hannah Weiss, who interned with Eating Matters and who we lost suddenly and tragically on December 31 st of 2017. At such a young age, she was poised to making meaningful and lasting changes to our food system that we desperately need and deeply committed to doing so. She was a joy to know and is sorely missed. Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Jan 01, 2018•16 min•Ep. 179
Building and sustaining regional food systems has been a much discussed topic this season, and in this episode, host Jenna Liut speaks with Tobias Peggs, Co-Founder and CEO of Square Roots - a company doing just that. Square Roots is an urban farming and entrepreneurship platform that strengthens communities through real food. They discuss how and why Square Roots was launched, what the company hopes to achieve, and the immense impact it can have on how we produce and consume food in this countr...
Dec 03, 2017•54 min•Ep. 98
How much do you know about the Farm Bill? If the answer is "not enough," then this is the episode for you. Paul Wolfe, Senior Policy Specialist at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition gives us a primer on this behemoth legislation that arguably has the biggest impact on our national food and agriculture policies and system. It is not the easiest bill to navigate to say the least, and as it is up for reauthorization in 2018, we wanted to go back to basics to better understand what it en...
Nov 12, 2017•46 min•Ep. 97
Let's get wonky and talk about how international trade policy effects on our food system. (Best teaser ever.) The re-negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the U.S., Mexico and Canada began on August 16, and can have huge repercussions on our food supply, farmers and the land. Ben Lilliston joins Host Jenna Liut to unpack the effects NAFTA has had on our food system over the past twenty years – and the potential effects that renegotiating the agreement could have....
Nov 06, 2017•51 min•Ep. 96
Host Jenna Liut speaks with Michael Winik, Founder & CEO of OurHarvest , an online farmers market delivery service working to increase access to locally grown, sustainably sourced and hugely delicious food from the greater New York area. Michael explains why and how his company could make huge changes to our currently broken food system by upending the food retail industry. He also leverages his background as a former investment banker to unpack what the recent Amazon/Whole Foods merger mean...
Oct 29, 2017•56 min•Ep. 95
Steph Gaylor founded Invincible Summer Farms in 2005 to grow and sell fresh produce, collaborate with chefs and the food community, and save rare seeds. She harvests 3,000 pounds of tomatoes alone (not to mention everything else) by herself while maintaining a seed bank with over 2,000 different varieties of tomatoes. Steph works to preserve the history and story of heirloom plants and is a steward for orphaned varieties and is one of the founding members of the Long Island Regional Seed Consort...
Oct 22, 2017•53 min•Ep. 94
On this episode of Eating Matters , host Jenna Liut digs into the merits of eating a plant based diet, a concept that has gained popularity in the past decade, even giving way to the development of plant based "meats." More recently, Netflix released a very pro-vegan documentary, "What the Health," which equates eating processed meats and eggs to smoking cigarettes in terms of negative health outcomes. Americans have a long history of diet obsessions, and Jenna discusses whether a plant based di...
Oct 16, 2017•47 min•Ep. 93
Over the past month, we have seen unprecedented devastation caused by multiple hurricanes hitting the US, starting with SouthEast Texas followed in rapid succession by Florida and most recently Puerto Rico. Food relief is of course one of the most important services provided during a natural disaster, and it always seems to me to be an area that receives little attention in terms of what this actually looks like. It is as challenging an undertaking as it is vital. Host Jenna Liut speaks with Bri...
Oct 01, 2017•45 min•Ep. 92
Host Jenna Liut speaks with Chef Rick Moonen. Known as the “Godfather of Sustainability” among chefs, his chef advocacy for the environment began about 30 years ago with the anti-GMO movement and continues today. He is often called upon to testify in Washington, D.C. and New York on environmental and sustainable fishing policy and is currently focused on encouraging people to eat fish lower down the food chain. He has appeared on Top Chef and Top Chef Masters and held executive chef positions at...
Sep 25, 2017•43 min•Ep. 91
