E192: How to achieve food equity with SNAP

January 4, 2023

Today we’re speaking with coauthors of a new report by the Center for Law and Social Policy, entitled “A Community-Driven Anti-Racism Vision for SNAP.” Senior policy analyst, Parker Gilkesson, and community organizer, Tamika Moore, argue that although public benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provide critical care and support for families with low incomes, they also reinforce racism and structures of oppression.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | Social Safety Net & Food |

 

E189: FDA Plans to Update Health Claim on Food Packaging

December 5, 2022

Food packaging can make shopping a pretty difficult process. Packaging can be a blitz of marketing strategies, where fact and misdirection are hard to distinguish. Plainly put, food labels are often confusing for consumers. So what is the Food and Drug Administration doing about this? We’re happy today to have Dr. Susan Mayne join us. She is the director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the FDA. She has done a lot of work on this topic.

Related podcasts: Diet & Nutrition | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing |

 

E187: FDA role in national strategy to end hunger

November 14, 2022

In September of 2022, the White House held the first conference focused on hunger, nutrition, and health, in 50 years. The convening served as the Biden-Harris administration’s call-to-action to end hunger, and increase healthy eating, and the physical activity among Americans, by the year 2030. But how successful was this event in actually catalyzing a national strategy? We’ll hear perspectives on this from Dr. Susan Mayne, Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration.

Related podcasts: Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | Social Safety Net & Food |

 

E186: Deep dive into challenges people face accessing food pantries

November 7, 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic deeply impacted the US food chain and has heightened attention on nonprofit food pantries and soup kitchens. Today’s guest argues that sometimes the people most in need of food face the most challenges in getting it because of food pantry operating procedures. Our guest, Alana Stein has conducted research on these issues at the University of California at Davis.

Related podcasts: COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts on Food | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Banks, Food Pantries & Soup Kitchens | Food Insecurity |

 

E182: Memoir and Marion Nestle – Slow Cooked

October 3, 2022

Pioneer, path breaker, field builder. These are all descriptions that apply to our guest today, Dr. Marion Nestle. Marion Nestle is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health emerita at New York University. She has been a major force in food policy for decades, partly because she is a brilliant communicator and a prolific author. Her groundbreaking book, “Food Politics,” has been published in several editions. Another book, “Unsavory Truth: How The Food Companies Skew The Science of What We Eat,” is a classic. And this just begins the list. But today we’re talking about Marion’s newest book, which is a memoir called, “Slow Cooked: An Unexpected Life in Food Politics”. It offers an unprecedented look into the life, the thinking, and the passions of one of the top figures in the field.

Related podcasts: Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Policy | History & Food |

 

E181: UK Stands Firm in Ruling Against Kellogg Cereals

September 21, 2022

In July, 2022 food giant Kellogg lost a court challenge of the United Kingdom’s high sugar cereal rule. The multinational food company had argued that the UK government’s inclusion of their serials among and I quote, less healthy foods is unfair because it doesn’t take into account the milk that is usually added to the cereals. The UK court dismissed the claim and is enforcing regulations, is limiting the promotion of foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar in UK supermarkets as part of their efforts to curb obesity. Here to speak with us today about the implications of this ruling is Anna Taylor, executive director of The Food Foundation in London.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Childhood Obesity | Diet & Nutrition | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Food Policy | Food, Psychology & Neuroscience | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E173: Special Episode | Power & Benefit on the Plate: A History of Food in Durham, NC

June 29, 2022

So why is the food history of a community so important? And can Durham’s food history be applied to other places? Who owns land, who can grow food and make a living doing so, and who has access to food, any food, least of all healthy food? The answers are deeply influenced by historical policies and practices. These in retrospect, clearly exacerbated, supported, and even created food related calamities, the dual burden communities face of both food insecurity and diet related chronic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. Understanding these practices is important in creating change. And in understanding that conditions imposed on neighborhoods rather than personal failings of residents explain what we see today.

Related podcasts: Community & Economic Development | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Insecurity | History & Food | North Carolina |

 

E170: Why the US Must Reduce Sodium Intake: It’s Costing Lives

June 10, 2022

Today, we’re going to talk salt with Dr. Michael Jacobson, former president and co-founder of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Dr. Jacobson is one of the authors of an important article published recently in the journal Hypertension. The article comes to a startling conclusion that delays in implementing voluntary sodium reduction targets by the food and restaurant industry may result in nearly 265,000 preventable deaths between 2017 and 2031.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Diet & Nutrition | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Food Policy | Food Safety & Food Defense | Ultra-processed Food & Additives |

 

E169: Ending Childhood Malnutrition is Within our Grasp

June 1, 2022

So what percentage of the world’s children do you believe suffer from physical or mental stunting due to nutrition and food shortages? How lasting do you think these effects are and what can be done? Today’s guest is Sharman Russell, author of the new book, Within Our Grasp: Childhood Malnutrition Worldwide and the Revolution Taking Place to End It. Among the reviews for the book, The Sunday Times of London said “Every page holds a revelation.”

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E166: New Efforts to Combat Diabetes and Obesity Stigma in Clinical Settings

May 17, 2022

So there’s much talk these days about weight stigma, in fact, we recorded a number of podcasts ourselves on the topic, and I believe it’s very important, but this is our first podcast on another form of stigma. One that is powerful, often overlooked, and highly important to address. Our guests today are Matthew Garza and Nick Cuttriss. Matthew is Managing Editor at The diaTribe Foundation. And the dia in diaTribe derives from diabetes. The foundation’s mission is to, and I’m quoting here, “to improve the lives of people with diabetes, prediabetes, “and obesity, and to advocate for action.” I’ve served on an advisory board for diaTribe, and very much admire their work. Nicolas Cuttriss is a pediatric endocrinologist, and is founder of the ECHO Diabetes Action Network, and also has served on an advisory committee for the diaTribe Foundation. Matthew and Nick have been integral to a novel and welcome program on diabetes stigma that launched recently, that can be seen at the website, dstigmatize.org.

Related podcasts: Diet & Nutrition | Eating Disorders | Obesity | Weight Stigma |