All Podcasts
E146: Organic Vs Regenerative Agriculture - What You Need to Know
October 2021So what does it mean for something to be considered organic, or to be considered regenerative or sustainably produced? Defining these concepts in agriculture production and in food labeling is complicated, but very important. So government defines and oversees certain terms, while other terms are generally overseen by producers, by industry experts, or even by non-governmental organizations. The politics and governance structures of labeling can be very important in how sustainably produced goods are made and marketed. In today's podcast, we'll speak with Dr. Samantha Mosier, political scientist on the faculty of East Carolina University, as part of our Regenerative Agriculture podcast series. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E146: Organic Vs Regenerative Agriculture - What You Need to Know »
E145: A Strategy to Improve SNAP Impact Through the Next Farm Bill
October 2021In 2023, the US will reauthorize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, as part of the massive Farm Bill. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 lockdowns and unprecedented innovations to SNAP benefits and delivery, what should the future program look like? As one of the country's most important social safety net, SNAP is a proven policy for stabilizing the economy, lifting Americans out of poverty, reducing food insecurity, and improving health while also reducing healthcare costs. In anticipation of this reauthorization, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Healthy Eating Research Program published a new report entitled "Strengthening the Public Health Impacts of SNAP: Key Opportunities for the Next Farm Bill." The report identified the evidence-based changes that have the greatest potential to improve SNAP participants' nutrition and their overall health. And the stakes on this are really high because the lives of so many people are affected. Today, we'll be talking with Duke University's Megan Lott, deputy director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Healthy Eating Research Program, and coauthor Catherine Woteki, former under secretary for the USDA's Research, Education, and Economics mission areas, who is now on the faculty of Iowa State University and at the University of Virginia, and she's also the president of the Charles Valentine Riley Memorial Foundation. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E145: A Strategy to Improve SNAP Impact Through the Next Farm Bill »
E144: New York’s Successful Model for Reducing Sugar and Salt
October 2021How much sugar and salt do you and others eat each day? What are reasonable and healthy amounts? And when does it become too much? It's a serious question, given that diet is a key driver for health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease. The National Salt and Sugar Reduction Initiative, the NSSRI, is working to make it easier for people to make healthy choices. Today's guest is Andrea Sharkey, a project manager, in the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, an agency long known for its innovation in this area. Andrea coordinates the National Salt and Sugar Reduction Initiative and is going to explain why education, consumer behavior changes, and policies can help our community stay healthy. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E144: New York’s Successful Model for Reducing Sugar and Salt »
E143: Improved Child Tax Credit Will Lift Many Out of Poverty
September 2021As many as 13 million children in the United States live in food insecure homes, meaning that these households don't have enough food for every family member to lead a healthy life. Hunger is a problem that most often affects children from low-income families. And today we're going to discuss the Child Tax Credit aimed at helping low-income families and the historic increases in the credit made through the American Rescue Plan in 2021. Our guest today is Billy Shore, the founder and executive chair of Share Our Strength, a nonprofit working to solve problems of hunger and poverty, both in the United States and around the world. Share Our Strength is also the parent organization for the well-known No Kid Hungry campaign, the national policy, advocacy, outreach, and research effort to improve childhood nutrition, support school meals, and provide resources to schools, food banks, and community groups working to end hunger. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E143: Improved Child Tax Credit Will Lift Many Out of Poverty »
E141: Gary Sacks on Curbing Corporate Control of the Food System
September 2021Think for a moment about how much influence the food and agriculture industries have over food policy. Too much influence, too little influence, maybe? People look at this in very different ways. One thoughtful voice in this discussion is today's guest, Gary Sacks, a person who has written extensively on corporate influence on food policy. He has considered corporate control of the food system, running the gamut from global brand consolidation to lobbying and direct involvement in policymaking to actual litigation against country governments, seeking to curb corporate influence. He asks a very key question, is it pastime to question the outsize role of food corporations in our lives? Dr. Gary Sacks is associate professor at the Global Obesity Center at Deakin University in Australia. His research focuses on policies for improving population diets and preventing obesity and he has coauthored international food policy reports, such as the Lancet Commission on Obesity and several reports for the world health organization on obesity prevention. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E141: Gary Sacks on Curbing Corporate Control of the Food System »
E142: Recognizing the Connection Between Obesity and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals
September 2021A paper published recently by the journal Obesity Reviews brings attention to the role of EDCs - endocrine disrupting chemicals - in weight gain, and in the very high rates of obesity around the world. The results of this review are enlightening and alarming, I must say, even to the two of us who wrote the paper. Our guest today is the lead author of the paper, Dr. Timothy Lobstein. Tim recently retired as director of policy at the World Obesity Federation in London, UK, and is currently visiting professor at Sydney University in Australia. He is an advocate scholar and policy expert, and one of the world's most effective and impactful voices in addressing obesity. He has several decades experience on obesity efforts around the world, working with groups, such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Agency UNICEF. And in 2020, he was the inaugural winner of the Philip James award. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E142: Recognizing the Connection Between Obesity and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals »
E140: Russ Conser on Regenerative Ag, Beef, and the Birds
September 2021How does someone who spent 30 years at Shell, the massive energy company, and leading its GameChanger innovation program turn into a leader for regenerative agriculture? Today, we're talking with Russ Conser, the CEO of Blue Nest Beef. He's an expert on disruptive innovation, scaling up ideas, and has a passion for soil and ecosystem science. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E140: Russ Conser on Regenerative Ag, Beef, and the Birds »
E139: MAZON’s Tipping Point – Driving Nutrition in the Food Bank Safety Net
September 2021This podcast focuses on why now is the right time to fix the US food system. I'm talking today with Marla Feldman, Senior Program Director at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, which is a national advocacy organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds, in both the United States and Israel. As our regular listeners will know from previous podcasts, for 36 years, MAZON has worked towards systemic change to address hunger and its root causes. This is done through a combination of initiatives, including programs with low-income populations or problems that have previously been overlooked or ignored, including food insecurity among currently serving military families, among veterans, single mothers, Native Americans, LGBTQ seniors, and the people of Puerto Rico and the territories. This is the fourth in our series of episodes in partnership with MAZON. And this time, we'll focus on the organization's work to increase access to nutritious foods in the charitable food network. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E139: MAZON’s Tipping Point – Driving Nutrition in the Food Bank Safety Net »
E138: Inside the International Dietary Data Expansion Project
August 2021Researchers and policy makers in agriculture, food security and nutrition share a common need for accurate and timely information on the what, when, where, and why people eat and what they eat, of course, this is particularly true in low and middle income countries where the data infrastructure is less well developed. To put this challenge in perspective, in 2015 the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition reported that, and I quote "more than half of the countries in the world do not collect the statistics, which are needed to assess whether or not they are making progress toward their nutrition goals." So today we're talking with two researchers who are working to solve this very data challenge. Our guests are food policy and applied nutrition researcher, Jennifer Coates, Associate Professor at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition, Science, and Policy and senior researcher Winnie Bell. Jennifer and Winnie are leading development of the International Dietary Data Expansion Project Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E138: Inside the International Dietary Data Expansion Project »
E137: Why Grocery Taxes Hurt Low Income Families More - Evidence for Policymakers
August 2021Taxes fund many important services, such as education, transportation, parks, and healthcare that benefit us all and our society. But does it make sense to tax groceries? Today, we're exploring research on the impact of grocery taxes, particularly, on low income families. We have two guests today who have collaborated on a really interesting project. Agricultural economist, Yuqing Zheng, of the University of Kentucky, and Norbert Wilson of Duke University. They're co-authors on a research paper entitled Putting Grocery Taxes on the Table, Evidence for Food Security Policy Makers. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E137: Why Grocery Taxes Hurt Low Income Families More - Evidence for Policymakers »
E136: When North Carolina Schools Offer Free Meals Academic Success Follows
August 2021For youngsters in school, nutritional meals really do lead the higher grades and better performance across the board. Today we'll explore a policy called the Community Eligibility Provision or CEP that allows schools in low-income areas to offer free meals to all students. We have two guests today. Marianne Hedrick Weant, Programs Manager at the North Carolina Alliance for Health and Dr. Sarah Crittenden Fuller, Research Associate Professor at The University of North Carolina and a proud Duke alum from our own program. She's also the coauthor of a new policy brief on this topic, entitled Meals Matter, The Community Eligibility Provision and Students' Success in North Carolina. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E136: When North Carolina Schools Offer Free Meals Academic Success Follows »
E135: How did SNAP do during COVID and What Changes Need to Stay?
July 2021The COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives and led to mandated business and school closures, families and communities all around the country experienced record levels of unemployment and record levels of food insecurity. This led to unprecedented policy innovation designed to increase access to nutritious food through the supplemental nutrition assistance program, known as SNAP. The program that was formerly known as Food Stamps. In today's podcast, we'll talk with the authors of a new report entitled, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Waivers and Adaptations During the COVID-19 Pandemic, A Survey of State Agency Perspectives in 2020. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E135: How did SNAP do during COVID and What Changes Need to Stay? »
E134: How Big Data is Fueling Youth Obesity
July 2021America's children and teenagers spend tremendous amount of time on the internet and never more than during the Coronavirus pandemic, with families at home so much, people ordered food, got news and engaged with family and friends online. Youngsters whose schools closed relied on YouTube for educational videos, attended virtual classes on Zoom and to Google Classroom and flocked to TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram for entertainment and social interaction. The cost of digital immersion has a serious health downside however, because the nation's youth have been exposed to a steady flow of marketing for fast foods, soft drinks, and other unhealthy products. Today we'll be discussing a new report from the Center For Digital Democracy entitled, "Big Food, Big Tech, and the Global Childhood Obesity Pandemic." Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E134: How Big Data is Fueling Youth Obesity »
E133: Measuring Fish for Food & Nutrition Security – Improving Metrics to Advance Policy
July 2021Public Policy relies on strong data and measurements. So if you want to improve a development target like nutrition, you need to be able to measure that. But with fisheries and aquaculture, we often don't have the metrics we need to make sound policy decisions. This podcast is a part of a series on fisheries and nutrition and a movement to bring fisheries into international food policy and programming. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E133: Measuring Fish for Food & Nutrition Security – Improving Metrics to Advance Policy »
E132: Connecting Food with our Environment in Daily Life
June 2021Most people think about the connection between food and their budget, or food and their health, but more and more people are concerned about the connection between food and the environment. Someone who cares about this a great deal is food campaigner, Jennifer Molidor, from the Center for Biological Diversity. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E132: Connecting Food with our Environment in Daily Life »
E131: Fisheries Need Stronger Role in Food Policy and Food Security Planning
June 2021Fish is food, right? Well, it hasn't always been treated that way in policy dialogues and development funding, according to a recent paper in AMBIO. Fisheries management practices and policies most often treat fish as a natural resource or a trade commodity, rather than an important contributor to food security. At the same time, food security policy and funding have focused primarily on agriculture instead of fish. This podcast is part of a series on fisheries and nutrition and a movement to bring fisheries into international food policy and programming. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E131: Fisheries Need Stronger Role in Food Policy and Food Security Planning »
E130: Can Software Help Cities Solve Food Insecurity?
May 2021Can software help urban planners tackle food access in big cities? The UrbanFootprint organization says yes. Fast Company named it one of the most innovative social good companies in 2021. Our guest today is the company's co-founder and CEO, Joe DiStefano. He's going to explain how city data and geospatial information can inform critical planning decisions about where to invest and to deploy resources to achieve urban food system resilience and to better support communities. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E130: Can Software Help Cities Solve Food Insecurity? »
E129: An Eating Addiction Revealed - Susan Burton on Empty
May 2021People who fight against anorexia and binge eating also struggle with secrecy, isolation and shame. Eating disorders such as these are incredibly powerful and relentless forces in the lives of an estimated 70 million people both male and female, by the way, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. For almost 30 years, author and storyteller Susan Burton of the hugely popular public radio program "This American Life" hid her obsession with food and the secret life of compulsive eating and starving that dominated her adolescence. She recently published a memoir entitled "Empty" as a way to confront her disordered eating and claim the recovery that comes from telling her story. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E129: An Eating Addiction Revealed - Susan Burton on Empty »
E128: MAZON Series - Why are Some US Military Families and Veterans Going Hungry?
May 2021Food insecurity strikes all corners of American life including the lives of military families. For the currently serving military families there is a barrier that makes it more difficult for them to qualify for needed assistance from the SNAP program. A person who knows a great deal about this is Josh Protas, Vice President of Public Policy at MAZON, A Jewish Response to Hunger, which is a national advocacy organization working to end hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds in the United States and in Israel. This is the third in our series of episodes on food insecurity, done in partnership with MAZON. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E128: MAZON Series - Why are Some US Military Families and Veterans Going Hungry? »
E127: Paarlberg Tackles Misinformation about Food We Grow and Eat
May 2021Today's guest, Dr. Robert Paarlberg, is the author of a provocative new book entitled: Resetting the Table: Straight Talk About the Food We Grow and Eat. The book is presented as a clear-eye, science-based corrective, to misinformation about our food: how it's produced, food companies, nutrition labeling, ethical treatment of animals, the environmental impact of agriculture, and even more. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E127: Paarlberg Tackles Misinformation about Food We Grow and Eat »
E126: Global Development Financing - What Can the Agriculture Sector Learn from Healthcare
April 2021If the world is ever going to end hunger, ensure food security and embrace sustainable agriculture practices, we've got to invest more in agriculture. Particularly, in developing countries. Now, governments and international organizations do invest in agriculture of course, but less than in healthcare, for example. And we wondered why? It turns out it's not so much a question of why healthcare receives more funding, it's how such funds are raised and distributed that makes a difference. In this podcast, we're going to explore findings from our new report on agricultural development financing and highlight some innovative practices from healthcare sector that could be used to boost resources for agriculture in low and middle income countries. Our guests are global health policy professor Gavin Yamey of the Duke University Center for Policy Impacting Global Health and global health financing and policy expert, Marco Schaeferhoff of Open Consultants. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E126: Global Development Financing - What Can the Agriculture Sector Learn from Healthcare »
E125: Women, Food Insecurity and the Feminization of Poverty in the US
April 2021Hunger affects all communities, but you may not know that 40% of single mothers struggle with food security. Women dominate our central workforce, yet they face persistent structural barriers to food security and economic stability. COVID-19 has only exacerbated these challenges. Today, Abby J. Leibman, President and CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, discusses the urgent and unique needs single mothers face, and the work she's leading to advance the anti-hunger movement. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E125: Women, Food Insecurity and the Feminization of Poverty in the US »
E123: Rashid Nuri and a Vision for Urban Agriculture
April 2021The term urban agriculture is becoming more familiar, but relatively few people know how this works on the ground in real world settings, and can fully appreciate the promise it has for the future. Our guest, Rashid Nuri, is the ideal person to explain. In 2006, Nuri founded the Truly Living Well Center in Atlanta to realize a vision for community food, sovereignty, and equity. This urban Ag organization grows tons of chemical-free, nutritious food, provides jobs, and works to educate communities. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E123: Rashid Nuri and a Vision for Urban Agriculture »
E124: Food Insecurity Issues are Community Issues
March 2021So what comes to mind when you think of these words: life around the table? Do you think of good food or family or sharing maybe? But what about spirituality and faith? So we're continuing our exploration of food and faith issues in today's podcast. And I'm speaking with Reverend Dr. Michelle Lewis, the executive director of an organization called, Life Around the Table, an ecumenical non-profit organization focused on food and on environmental justice. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E124: Food Insecurity Issues are Community Issues »
E122: Food RX Program Brings Helpful Changes to the Navajo
March 2021American Indians and Alaska natives face challenging economic, environmental, and political conditions that are in many ways similar to those experienced in developing countries. About 37%, for example, of Navajo or Dine people live in poverty. Access to preventive services such as cancer screening, immunizations, and early detection is often limited. And patients must travel long distances to obtain medical services. The situation is made worse by the lack of access to healthy foods. As a result, the life expectancy for American Indians is about six years shorter than that for the general population. Additionally, American Indians suffer disproportionately high rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, mental illness, and substance abuse. Today, we are speaking with two impressive people working to change that, Dr. Sonya Shin and Kymie Thomas. They run the Navajo Nation Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment or COPE Program. This is a community-based outreach and food security program made possible through a formal collaboration between Brigham and Women's Health in Boston, Tribal Leadership and Indian Health Services to address health disparities in the Navajo Nation. Listen to Podcast/Read Transcript about E122: Food RX Program Brings Helpful Changes to the Navajo »