Did you know that Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world’s largest hog producer and slaughterhouse? (Smithfield slaughters 32,000 hogs per day; that’s 33 hogs per minute or 1 every two seconds.) Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Lynn Waltz, two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, assistant professor of journalism at The Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications at Hampton University, Hampton, Virgin...
Sep 07, 2018•28 min•Ep. 480
Did you know that organic farming methods improve soil and water quality, and can help mitigate climate change? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Brise Tencer, Executive Director of the California-based Organic Farming Research Foundation. Tenser explains the meaning and benefits of organic food and farming, how certification, benefits farmers and consumers, and teh challenges facing organic farmers. Tenser shares highlights from rec...
Aug 31, 2018•28 min•Ep. 479
Did you know that a compound largely found in mushrooms could help prevent neuro-degenerative diseases? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Robert Beelman, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Food Science, and Director of the Center for Plant and Mushroom Foods for Health, at Pennsylvania State University. Beelman will describe the unique nutritional and medicinal properties of mushrooms, including epidemiological research their potential for...
Aug 24, 2018•28 min•Ep. 478
Did you know that supermarkets hold great power and influence over the farmers, producers and workers who supply their products? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Irit Tamir, J.D., Director of Oxfam America’s Private Sector Department. Tamir will discuss Oxfam’s new report, “Ripe for Change: Ending the human suffering behind our food” https://www.oxfamamerica.org/static/media/files/Ripe-for-Change-Ending-Human-Suffering-in-Supermarke...
Aug 17, 2018•28 min•Ep. 477
Did you know that “food touches everything?” Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Laura Titzer, community food organizer based in Seattle, WA, and author of “No Table Too Small: Engaging in the Art and Attitude of Social Change.” Titzer discusses her work history, defines food “activist,” and describes barriers to, and solutions for food justice. Related website: http://thefoodcoup.com/no-table-too-small-the-book/...
Aug 10, 2018•28 min•Ep. 476
Did you know that labor union contracts help protect slaughterhouse workers’ health and safety? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dennis Olson, Senior Research Associate and Policy Analyst for the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union. Olson describes how labor unions in poultry slaughterhouses help uphold safer line speeds. He also describes the Center for Good Food Purchasing ( https://goodfoodpurchasing.org/ ) w...
Aug 03, 2018•28 min•Ep. 475
Did you know that water is our most important nutrient, and industrial agricultural production methods threaten water quality, public health, and quality of life in rural communities? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with William Stowe, CEO and General Manager of the Des Moines Water Works. Stowe sits on the board of directors of the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, which comprises the largest drinking water utilities in North...
Jul 27, 2018•28 min•Ep. 474
Did you know that as of May 2018, menus at fast food and chain restaurants, as well as ready-to-eat foods in supermarkets will have to provide calorie and nutrition information to customers? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Margo Wootan, Ph.D., Director of Nutrition Policy at the Washington, D.C. – based Center for Science in the Public Interest, and key in creating new menu labeling laws. Wootan explains that with one third of our ...
Jul 20, 2018•28 min•Ep. 473
Did you know that organic farming methods could help mitigate climate change, reduce pollution and improve the nutritional quality of our diets? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jessica Shade, Ph.D., Director of Science Programs at the Organic Center. Shade explores the science that supports the benefits of organic food and farming, including soil health, carbon sequestration, a reduction in nitrogen pollution, and greater resilienc...
Jul 13, 2018•28 min•Ep. 472
Did you know that approximately 12% of the U.S. population is food insecure, and that many rely on charity to survive? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andy Fisher, community food security advocate, and author of “Big Hunger: The Unholy Alliance Between Corporate America and Anti-Hunger Groups.” Fisher explores the charity model and the “big business” of hunger relief in the United States. He offers visionary, alternative models for...
Jul 06, 2018•28 min•Ep. 471
Did you know that the development of obesity is dependent upon more than simple caloric balance? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Bruce Blumberg, Ph.D., Professor of Developmental and Cell Biology at the University of California-Irvine, and author of “The Obesogen Effect: Why We Eat Less and Exercise More but Still Struggle to Lose Weight.” Blumberg explains how modern chemicals can influence how our bodies metabolize calories, and ...
Jun 29, 2018•28 min•Ep. 470
Did you know that healthful foodsheds are key to democracy and a sustainable future? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Philip Ackerman-Leist, M.S., organic farmer, professor of sustainable agriculture and food systems at Green Mountain College (VT), and author of “A Precautionary Tale: How One Small Town Banned Pesticides, Preserved its Food Heritage, and Inspired a Movement.” Ackerman-Leist shares the David-and-Goliath story of Mals...
Jun 22, 2018•28 min•Ep. 469
Did you know that we depend on hundreds of thousands of Latino farm workers who perform skilled and strenuous labor under harsh conditions in the state of California? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gabriel Thompson , award-winning investigative journalist, and author of Chasing the Harvest : Migrant Workers in California Agriculture, an oral history collection of California farm workers (Verso, 2017). The book is published in conj...
Jun 15, 2018•28 min•Ep. 468
Did you know that an increasing number of hospitals nationwide are investing in on-site farms, farmers’ markets, and “good” food prescription projects? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sue Erhardt , Executive Director of the Allegheny Mountain Institute. AMI is an educational non-profit organization with the mission to cultivate healthy communities through food and farming education. Inspired by Cesar Chavez, Erhardt describes her w...
Jun 08, 2018•28 min•Ep. 467
Did you know that food (plus laughter) can be our best medicine? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mary Purdy, M.S., R.D., Integrative and Functional Medicine Nutritionist, and former actor. Purdy’s theatrical background makes her a uniquely entertaining nutritionist. She’s the host of the web series & podcast “Mary’s Nutrition Show” and author of “Serving the Broccoli Gods.” Purdy offers “edutaining” tips for curbing sugar cravi...
Jun 01, 2018•28 min•Ep. 466
Did you know that preserving our regional agricultural heritage and culinary traditions can promote economic development and regional pride? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Daniel Harper, Director of Policy and Communications for the American Origin Products Association. Harper discusses the multiple benefits of regional food branding, labeling, trademarks, and specialty products unique to specific geographic regions. Hint: think K...
May 25, 2018•28 min•Ep. 465
Did you know that 70 percent of our immune system is in the lining of our guts? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tanmeet Sethi, MD, an Integrative Medicine Physician on the faculty at the Swedish Cherry Hill Family Medicine Residency in Seattle, WA. Recognizing the power of food in mental and physical health, Sethi established a culinary medicine program. She discusses the “sacred act” of eating, the holistic practice of mind-body m...
May 18, 2018•28 min•Ep. 464
Did you know that exposure to pesticides puts children and farm workers in harm’s way? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kristin Schafer, Executive Director of the Pesticide Action Network (PAN). Schafer discusses the risks of pesticide drift and harms related to exposure on children and farm workers, including neurological damage from chlorpyrifos, and increasing herbicides used on genetically engineered crops. Schafer shines a ligh...
May 11, 2018•28 min•Ep. 463
Did you know that the nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables has been declining over the past few decades? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andrew Smith, Ph.D., Research Director for the Rodale Institute’s new “Vegetable Systems Trial.” The new, long-running trial will compare biologically-based organic with chemically-based “conventional” vegetable production. Smith explains why and how conventional methods for increasing cro...
May 04, 2018•28 min•Ep. 462
Did you know that “hydroponic” growing methods have been a controversial topic among organic farmers? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dave Chapman, organic farmer http://www.longwindfarm.com/about , and founding farmer behind the “Real Organic Project.” From his high-tech organic farm in Thetford, VT, Chapman discusses his decades-long career in farming, and his work to protect the integrity of the organic label. Chapman describes ...
Apr 27, 2018•28 min•Ep. 461
Do you know how to navigate food labels in the marketplace? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Andrew Gunther, Executive Director of A Greener World. Gunther defines food label terms to better enable consumers to navigate the marketplace. An outspoken critic of industrial farming systems, Gunther was the senior global animal compassionate product procurement and development specialist for Whole Foods Market, leading the team that desi...
Apr 20, 2018•28 min•Ep. 460
Did you know that chlorpyrifos, produced by Dow chemical, is the most widely used insecticide globally? Commonly known as Durzban, this particular pesticide causes nerve damage in children. Prenatal exposure predicts ADHD, lower IQ, and creates an increase in children with “special needs,” putting a burden on schools and society. Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dana Boyd Barr, Ph.D., Research professor at the Rollins School of Publ...
Apr 12, 2018•28 min•Ep. 459
Did you know that the Lancet Commission has referred to climate change as both the biggest public health crisis, and biggest public health opportunity of the century? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Dr. Lori Griffin Byron, M.D., Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and co-leader of the Citizen’s Climate Lobby Health Team (see: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/ ) Dr. Byron describes how climate change, with rising levels of ...
Apr 06, 2018•28 min•Ep. 458
Did you know that today’s children are suffering from increasing rates of auto-immune illnesses, asthma, autism, ADHD, and digestive disorders? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Michelle Perro, M.D., author of “What’s Making Our Children Sick? How Industrial Food is Causing an Epidemic of Chronic Illness, and What Parents (and Doctors) Can Do About It.” Perro describes the changes in children’s health she’s witnessed from over 35 yea...
Mar 30, 2018•28 min•Ep. 457
Did you know that organic food and farming have far reaching impacts on our environment and health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Margaret Scoles, Executive Director of the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA). Scoles explains the integrity, meaning, and benefits of the organic label; describes the process of organic certification, and the rules farmers must follow to earn the label. She also helps us navigate comp...
Mar 23, 2018•28 min•Ep. 456
Did you know that food is intimately connected with issues of justice, equity and community? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Julia Turshen, writer, recipe developer, and cookbook author. Turshen discusses her most recent book: “Feed the Resistance: Recipes and Ideas for Getting Involved,” which takes us beyond our plates with healthful, easy, plant-based recipes mixed with activism and politics. Turshen describes her latest project...
Mar 16, 2018•28 min•Ep. 455
Did you know that farmer suicides have become a global epidemic? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Debbie Weingarten, writer and food justice advocate. Weingarten discusses her research into the tragic but growing global trend of farmer suicides, and why her story was so difficult to place in media outlets. She addresses what young farmers need to succeed, and how we (eaters and citizens) can change farm policy through the power of o...
Mar 09, 2018•28 min•Ep. 454
Did you know that the National Organic Standards Board helps maintain the integrity of the organic seal? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Francis Thicke, Ph.D., organic dairy farmer, soil scientist, and former member of the National Organic Standards Board. Thicke explains both the challenges and opportunities for keeping integrity and consumer trust in the organic label. He explores the harms of industrial farming, controversy over...
Mar 02, 2018•28 min•Ep. 453
Did you know that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recently published an extensive report reviewing the research on the health effects of cannabis? http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2017/Cannabis-Health-Effects/Cannabis-conclusions.pdf Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Pharmacist, Laura Borgelt, PharmD , Associate Dean, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, and Professor in the Departments...
Feb 23, 2018•28 min•Ep. 452
Did you know that food and agriculture are at the nexus of critical 21st century issues of climate change, water scarcity, hunger and energy use? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mary Hendrickson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of rural sociology at the U. of MO – Columbia, for a discussion about how the ways in which we produce and consume food have changed over the past few decades. Through a sociologist’s (and farmer’s) lens, Hendric...
Feb 16, 2018•28 min•Ep. 451
