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Past Presentation | We want our food fast, convenient and cheap, but at what cost? As farms have become supersized, our environment suffers and so does the quality of our food. Food for Thought, Food for Life, a new documentary from director Susan Rockefeller (HBO’s Christopher Award­-winning documentary Making The Crooked Straight, Cinema Verde 2016 / Film Descriptions Page 3 Planet Green’s A Sea Change) explains the downsides of current agribusiness practices, and also introduces us to farmers, chefs, researchers, educators, and advocates who are providing solutions. The film is both poetic and practical; its powerful examination of the connections between our planet and our well­being is accompanied by specific strategies that protect both. With an eye towards a sustainable and abundant future, it offers inspiration for communities that are ready to make a difference.

Past Presentation | This exposé traces the efforts to defeat the $4 trillion global supermarket industry by an intrepid group of Florida farm workers who create an ingenious Fair Food program, which partners with growers and retailers to improve working conditions for farm laborers in the United States.

You are what you eat?

Artificial intelligence is peering into restaurant garbage pails and crunching grocery-store data to try to figure out how to send less uneaten food into dumpsters.

Past Presentation | Author and cook David Groß travels through five European countries and cooks exclusively what others throw in the garbage bin. With great thirst for knowledge, he tracks food waste and presents unexpected solutions. In an unusual and humorous self attempt David Groß questions our daily consumer lifestyle.

Past Presentation | This episode looks at a range of sustainable practices young Edmontonians are engaged in to bring local, healthy and delicious food to local tables. Host Paula Humby plants an apple tree.

Carleigh Bodrug's new cookbook explains just how simple a zero-waste, plant-based diet can actually be

Mergers and acquisitions have created food oligopolies that are inefficient, barely regulated, unfair, and even dangerous.

A new study shows preference for AI-created food imagery due to its optimized attractiveness, with potential implications for consumer health and environmental sustainability. With the...

A versatile fern called azolla could revolutionize food production by offering a sustainable source of nutrition and aiding in carbon capture, according to recent research. Matt Simon reports for Wired.In short:Azolla, a rapidly growing fern, holds potential as food, fertilizer, and biofuel, but requires further research to ensure it's safe and nutritious.Carolina azolla, a specific species, has lower levels of polyphenols, making it a better candidate for human consumption after processing.Beyond nutrition, azolla's ability to fix nitrogen and capture carbon could significantly benefit agriculture and the environment.Key quote: "I’m not out here saying everybody should go eat this stuff right away, but boy, it’s got so much potential." — Daniel Winstead, research technologist at Penn State.Why this matters: Azolla's rapid growth and environmental benefits could provide a crucial alternative in times of food scarcity and play a role in sustainable agriculture. In this 2017 essay, Robyn Alders and Richard Kock argue that it’s time to rethink our food system and acknowledge our responsibilities to renewal of resources and the rights of existence for all life forms on Earth.

Heavy rain likely to cause low yields in Britain and other parts of Europe, with drought in Morocco hitting importsWhich UK foods are at risk?The UK faces food shortages and price rises as extreme weather linked to climate breakdown causes low yields on farms locally and abroad.Record rainfall has meant farmers in many parts of the UK have been unable to plant crops such as potatoes, wheat and vegetables, during the key spring season. Crops which have been planted are of poor quality, with some rotting in the ground. Continue reading...

Takeout containers from restaurants on the side of the road. Discarded coffee cups floating in rivers. Packing peanuts shipped off to landfills. Plastic foam products are ubiquitous. Now, a proposed congressional bill seeks to reduce this waste.In December 2023, Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett jointly introduced the Farewell to Foam Act in both the Senate and House of Representatives. The bill would ban single-use expanded polystyrene food packaging products, coolers and loose-fill packaging products like packing peanuts by January 2026. The legislators cited plastic foam’s environmental and health harms as driving the bill. Though it’s uncertain whether it will move forward, experts and advocates say its introduction is a significant step toward establishing national single-use plastic bans, none of which currently exist in the U.S.Expanded polystyrene, or EPS—erroneously referred to as Styrofoam, a trademarked material used in construction—is a fossil-fuel-derived plastic comprised of approximately 98% air and 2% plastic beads. This airiness makes EPS desirable for packaging: it insulates food, cushions products and costs little.However, Van Hollen and Doggett claim the consequences of plastic foam pollution outweigh its convenience. “As trash clutters our waterways, roadsides, and greenspaces, foam doesn’t fully disintegrate. Instead, it ever so slowly degrades into microplastics that pollute our bodies and our planet,” the Texas Rep. said in a statement.Plastic foam takes hundreds of years to break down. Within that lifespan, it can make a mess.“Foam is particularly challenging because it’s lightweight and easily breaks up into tiny, tiny pieces, like micro- and nanoplastics,” Christy Leavitt, the plastics director at the ocean advocacy group Oceana, told EHN. These pieces spread across terrestrial and aquatic habitats, leading to massive deposits that animals can mistake for food.Currently, 11 states, Washington D.C. and hundreds of cities across the U.S. have passed similar plastic foam bans. The Farewell to Foam Act, though, is the first national motion to prohibit EPS foams across the country.“It is a great time to build off of what the cities and states have been doing and to have federal action on reducing foams,” Leavitt said. Recycling challenges Some of the bill’s critics argue that bans are not the best way to keep plastic foams out of the environment. In a statement to EHN, Matt Seaholm, the president and CEO of the Plastics Industry Association, acknowledged plastic pollution as an issue but said the proposed bill was “misguided” and that time would be better spent on policies that prioritize “improving our recycling infrastructure, increasing the market for post-consumer recycled content and creating well-constructed extended producer responsibility programs.” However, while more than 10 million tons of plastic foam are produced globally each year, in the U.S., less than 10% is recycled. Most recycling stations do not accept it because it breaks into beads and cannot be processed using standard machinery. Since the material is mostly air, it’s also more expensive to recycle than to produce new materials. “I really hunger for an effective way to recycle polystyrene and upcycle polystyrene,” Guoliang “Greg” Liu, a polymer chemist and chemical engineer at Virginia Tech, told EHN. Scientists like Liu have found ways to recycle plastic foam into products with applications in manufacturing and medicine. However, the economic incentives aren’t yet widespread enough to make these processes commonplace. “We can’t just consider very cool chemistry and science. We must consider if we can do this in a realistic and scalable manner,” he said. Though recycling could help divert EPS from the polluting water and land, it wouldn’t solve the problem of its potential health risks. Microplastics, styrene exposure concerns In a press release, the legislators referenced expanded polystyrene’s tendency to leach microplastics into their contents as a human health concern. There’s also concern over the presence of styrene in it. Styrene, its resinous building block, is categorized as possibly carcinogenic by the International Research Agency on Cancer. People typically come into close contact with styrene in manufacturing workplaces, where exposure can irritate their eyes, lungs, skin and nervous systems.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has upheld plastic foam as a safe packaging material because the trace amounts of styrene leached into food tend to stay under the recommended daily limit and don’t necessarily exceed the amounts of styrene found naturally in foods like strawberries and nuts. However, some researchers and advocates worry about the effects of repeated exposure to styrene in EPS-packaged food. Processing styrene into expanded polystyrene tends to minimize exposure, but the amount of leached styrene can increase if the material is damaged or improperly manufactured or if the edible contents are very hot and oily. It’s unclear whether styrene leached into foods impacts human health, since most research focuses on workplace exposure. Regarding microplastics, current research suggests potential links between microplastics and increased inflammation. An important step on plastic waste Michelle Nowlin, co-director of Duke’s Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, told EHN she believes a national plastic foam ban is sound. “You think about all the other risks and threats that it poses and the difficulties with recycling it, and it just doesn't make sense to continue using the product, particularly for food ware,” she said.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would have the power to enforce this ban and would give warnings and fines to violators. The ban would apply to food distributors who use plastic foam packaging, while manufacturers, retailers and distributors would be held responsible for loose fill and coolers. Single-use medical supplies would not be affected. As of March 2023, the bill has been referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the Senate and the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce in the House. The committees have yet to review the bill, but 86 congresspeople (all Democrats except for 2 independents) across both chambers have signed on as co-sponsors. However, it appears unlikely that the bill will pass by January 2025, when the current Congress ends, as it has been one of the least productive legislative bodies in American history. Nowlin added that the political polarization of the 118th Congress has stymied many bills from passing. However, Nowlin still believes that this bill’s proposal is an important step. “Introducing these types of provisions is really important to elevate the national consciousness, to get these conversations started,” she said. “We’ll get there eventually.”

Past Presentation | In the Paraguayan Chaco region, the area with the fastest deforestation in the world, aboriginal communities see the source of their foodstuffs, their pharmacopoeia, and their mythological tales disappear before their eyes. An unflinching exposé of the effects of uncontrolled settlement on one of the last virgin territories of the planet.

The snakes may be some of the most resource-efficient animals to farm on the planet, a new study suggests

Past Presentation | As We Grow is a short documentary following the development of Tallahassee Sustainability Group, a young Tallahassee student organization dedicated to educating the public about food and agriculture, increasing accessibility to fresh, healthy, food, and strengthening communities by means of urban farming. Though there are many problems that exist in our current industrialized food system, motivated people can begin our transition to a healthy food system by taking action locally and building a sustainable local food community. The concept of urban farming is paramount to this transition and growing food on unused or underutilized land where people actually live is the first step to food security and empowerment

By Leah Douglas(Reuters) - Climate advocacy groups are pressuring world governments gathered at this year’s United Nation’s COP28 climate...

Past Presentation | New technologies and scientific ingenuity have given rise to genetically modified organisms (GMO) and other novel foods. Some people have raised concerns about the safety of GMOs in our food supply, given their incredible dominance in the majority of our diet. This film looks at our current food system as well as a variety of smaller, organic options available to consumers who want to support sustainable farming methods.

“For the first time during a global climate summit, heads of states of many countries are expected to commit to transforming their food and agricultural systems,” said Patty Fong, the program director of climate at the Global Alliance for the Future of Food (GAFF), during a press conference last week. “In addition, actors from across […] The post Will a Food and Ag Focus at COP28 Distract From the Fossil Fuel Economy? appeared first on Civil Eats.

Consumer Reports recently conducted its most comprehensive review of pesticides in 59 US fruits and vegetables. Here the organization shares what it foundWhat’s safe to eat? Here is the pesticide risk level for each fruit and vegetableWhen it comes to healthy eating, fruits and vegetables reign supreme. But along with all their vitamins, minerals and other nutrients can come something else: an unhealthy dose of dangerous pesticides.Though using chemicals to control bugs, fungi and weeds helps farmers grow the food we need, it’s been clear since at least the 1960s that some chemicals also carry unacceptable health risks. And although certain notorious pesticides, such as DDT, have been banned in the US, government regulators have been slow to act on others. Even when a dangerous chemical is removed from the market, chemical companies and growers sometimes just start using other options that may be as dangerous. Continue reading...

Past Presentation | Filmmakers and food lovers, Jen and Grant, dive into the issue of waste from farms, through retail, all the way to the back of their own fridge. After catching a glimpse of the billions of dollars of good food that is tossed each year in North America, they pledge to quit grocery shopping cold turkey and survive only on foods that would otherwise be thrown away. In a nation where one in 10 people is food insecure, the images they capture of squandered groceries are both shocking and strangely compelling.

This story was originally published in The New Lede, a journalism project of the Environmental Working Group, and is republished here with permission.Several types of fruits and vegetables generally considered to be healthy can contain levels of pesticide residues potentially unsafe for consumption, according to an analysis conducted by Consumer Reports (CR) released on Thursday.The report, which is based on seven years of data gathered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as part of its annual pesticide residue reporting program, concluded that 20% of 59 different fruit and vegetable categories included in the analysis carried residue levels that posed “significant risks” to consumers of those foods.Those high-risk foods included bell peppers, blueberries, green beans, potatoes and strawberries, according to CR. The group found that some green beans even had residues of an insecticide called acephate, which has been banned for use on green beans by U.S. regulators since 2011. In one sample from 2022, levels of methamidophos (a breakdown product of acephate), were morethan 100 times the level CR scientists consider safe. In another sample, acephate levels were 7 times higher than CR considers safe.Overall, out of the nearly 30,000 total fruit and vegetable samples for which CR examined data, about 8% percent were deemed to have residues at “high risk or very high risk”. Imported produce was more likely to carry high levels of pesticide residues than domestically supplied foods, the report said, noting that residue levels can vary widely from sample to sample.The results “raise red flags,” according to CR. The report advises that children and pregnant women should consume less than a serving a day of high-risk fruits and vegetables, and less than half a serving per day of “very high-risk ones.”“People need to be concerned because we see that the more data we gather on pesticides, the more we realize the levels that we previously thought to be safe turn out not to be,” said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist at CR who was recently appointed to a USDA food safety advisory committee.The organization said the “good news” is that the data showed residues in most of the foods sampled, including 16 of 25 fruit categories and 21 of 34 vegetable types, presented “little to worry about.” Nearly all organic samples showed no concerning levels of pesticide residues.The report suggests consumers “try snap peas instead of green beans, cantaloupe in place of watermelon, cabbage or dark green lettuces for kale, and the occasional sweet potato instead of a white one.”Faulty safety assurances  In coming to its findings, CR said it analyzed USDA residue test results for 29,643 individual food samples and then rated the risk of each fruit or vegetable based on how many different pesticides were found in each, how frequently and at what levels the residues were found, and the toxicity for each pesticide detected.For pesticides known to be cancer-causing, neurotoxins or endocrine disruptors – chemicals that can alter the hormonal functions – CR added an extra safety margin requirement to the levels considered safe. “People need to be concerned because we see that the more data we gather on pesticides, the more we realize the levels that we previously thought to be safe turn out not to be." Michael Hansen, Consumer Reports The CR said its safety levels differ from those set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which establishes “maximum residue limits” (MRLs) for each crop use of a pesticide after developing a risk assessment that the agency says considers multiple factors, including aggregate exposure from the pesticides, cumulative effects of related pesticides, and potential increased increased susceptibility to infants and children. Based on the EPA’s MRLs, the USDA said in its most recent pesticide data program report that 99% of foods tested had residues within the safety limits. But the EPA’s limits are too high to be truly protective of public health, and do not adequately account for the risks associated with some pesticides, according to CR.“EPA stands by its comprehensive pesticide assessment and review process to ensure the safety of the U.S. food supply,” the agency said in a statement. “Since the pesticide registration review program started in 2006, EPA has cancelled some or all uses in nearly 25% of the conventional pesticide cases it has completed work on, where new science indicates a need for additional mitigations.” The EPA says it considers “all relevant data” in making human health risk assessments for pesticide use. It is common for many farmers to apply a range of pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides, on their fields as a means to fight weeds, bugs and plant diseases. In some cases, they spray the chemicals directly over growing plants. Residues of these chemicals are found not only in food but often in drinking water as well. Both the Food and Drug Administration and the USDA have been tracking levels of pesticide residues in foods for decades, and have repeatedly assured the public that those residues are not a human health risk as long as they do not exceed the EPA’s MRLs. But those assurances have proven wrong in the past. In one example, the government long said the insecticide chlorpyrifos was safe to be used on food if residues were within the EPA’s established limits, despite strong scientific evidence that exposure could harm the brains and nervous systems of developing children.In 2015, after decades of use in agriculture, the EPA changed its stance, saying it could not determine if chlorpyrifos in the diet was actually safe, and proposed banning the pesticide from use in farming. It took until 2021 for the agency to issue a final rule banning the pesticide, and a court challenge to the ban has kept the chemical in use.Further undermining faith in the government’s assurance on pesticide residues is the fact that the EPA consults with the companies selling the chemicals in setting allowable residue levels, and those allowable levels can be increased at the request of the companies. The EPA has approved several increases allowed for residues of the weed killing chemical glyphosate, for instance. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicides, is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer but the EPA considers it not likely to cause cancer.Industry influenceThe Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) requires the EPA to apply an additional tenfold safety margin to allowable exposure levels to account for the effects on vulnerable infants and children, and allows the agency to skip adding the safety margin “only if it will be safe for infants and children.” The agency has declined to apply that additional tenfold margin of safety for infants and children when setting the legal levels for several pesticide residues, however, even when scientists have said it is needed.Pesticide manufacturers have successfully pushed the EPA not to apply the extra safety margin for dozens of pesticides that have “clear potential to damage DNA or disrupt development,” said Chuck Benbrook, a pesticide residue expert and a consultant on the CR report. “EPA has known about the existence of thousands of excessively high tolerances since the 2000s,” said Benbrook. “Despite the powerful new tools and mandate in the FQPA to lower or revoke them, the pesticide industry makes it very difficult for the EPA to lower tolerances and progress has slowed to a crawl. Even worse, some very-high pesticides are finding their way back on the market and into children’s food.”Government and industry assurances about the safety of pesticide residues in the U.S. food supply are based on the fact that most residues in food are below the applicable tolerance levels, Benbrook added.“But we now know, and can specifically identify hundreds of samples of food each year with below-tolerance residues that pose risks far above what the EPA regards as safe,” he said.“Action needs to be taken”The CR report says the dangers lurking on grocery stores shelves could be reduced by the elimination of two chemical classes – organophosphates and carbamates. While organophosphates are used in plastic and solvent manufacturing as well as pesticides, they are also constituents of nerve gas, and exposure – acute and long-term – can have a range of harmful impacts on people and animals. “EPA has known about the existence of thousands of excessively high tolerances since the 2000s." - Charles Benbrook, a pesticide residue expert and Consumer Reports consultant As the Illinois Department of Public Health explains: “Organophosphates kill insects by disrupting their brains and nervous systems. Unfortunately, these chemicals also can harm the brains and nervous systems of animals and humans.”Carbamates bear a chemical similarity to organophosphate pesticides.The CR report comes as many scientists have increasingly been questioning whether or not a steady diet of pesticide residues can actually be safe for people and what long-term consumption of trace amounts of pesticides in food could be doing to human and animal health.“The data is showing more and more that these lower levels are having an impact,” said Hansen. “That is why some action needs to be taken.”

A version of this article originally appeared in The Deep Dish, our members-only newsletter. Become a member today and get the next issue directly in your inbox. The opportunity to absorb Indigenous wisdom and share that knowledge with the community is what attracted 20-year-old Nyomi Oliver (Navajo/Chicana) to the Denver nonprofit, which offers a wide variety of […] The post Native Youth Learn to Heal Their Communities Through Mycelium appeared first on Civil Eats.

A version of this article originally appeared in The Deep Dish, our members-only newsletter. Become a member today and get the next issue directly in your inbox. “The thing is, home cooking is serious business. It is a conscious decision to turn raw ingredients into a meal to nourish ourselves and the people we love,” she wrote. […] The post Home Cooking Can Be Stress-Free and Part of a Sustainable Food System appeared first on Civil Eats.

In this week’s Field Report, controversial research on growing food in cities, the food and agriculture impacts of the Key Bridge collapse, and more. The post Despite Recent Headlines, Urban Farming Is Not a Climate Villain appeared first on Civil Eats.

Past Presentation | Rescuing Abundance is a food sustainability film starring heroes from the Pittsburgh food community. The film tells the story of how business, government, farmers, nonprofits, and college students can work together to reverse the current trend of 31% of the food produced in the United States ending up in landfills, despite millions of people going hungry every day. The ultimate purpose of the film is to develop the foundation for community-focused solutions. Business and the community can work together and drive social innovation in the food space.

Oral immunotherapy is effective at getting people to tolerate peanuts, but the effectiveness is not long-lived.

Livestock bosses celebrate outcome at online summit, while critics condemn failure to tackle meat and dairy consumptionLobbyists for the world’s biggest meat companies have lauded a better than expected outcome at Cop28, which they say left them “excited” and “enthusiastic” for their industry’s prospects.US livestock bosses reflected on the conference’s implication for their sector on a virtual panel, fresh from “sharing US agriculture’s story” at the climate summit in December.Campaigners and climate scientists had hoped the summit, which was billed as a “Food Cop” because of its focus on farming, would result in governments agreeing to ambitious action to transform food systems in line with the goals of the Paris climate agreement. Continue reading...

A version of this article originally appeared in The Deep Dish, our members-only newsletter. Become a member today and get the next issue directly in your inbox. In 2020, Common Ground received just under $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to train entrepreneurs to grow and distribute food in low-income areas. In 2022, […] The post This Farm Bill Really Matters. We Explain Why. appeared first on Civil Eats.

As researchers look for the reasons to explain the global rise in obesity, one thing has become clear — chemicals in our food, packaging, personal care items and other products are playing a key role. Obesity is linked to a variety of preventable health effects, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even certain types of cancer. Despite the focus on treating obesity with diet and exercise, drugs and bariatric surgery, obesity is still increasing at alarming rates worldwide, especially in children. Evidence is mounting that certain chemicals called obesogens — which include everything from sugar to known bad actor chemicals like bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, flame retardants — can cause the human (and animal) body to produce more fat than it normally would. Many obesogens do this by impacting the proper functioning of our hormones, which means they can alter metabolism and promote increased storage of calories. Because of this, obesogens can increase weight gain even if we don’t eat more. In our new analysis, we examine the different models researchers use in studying obesity. We found that exposure to obesogens can result in changes in metabolism leading to weight gain that is consistent with the other models. We proposed an integrated model that puts exposure to obesogens as a key cause of obesity. A new approach is needed — one focusing on prevention. How scientists study obesity We compared four models that explain obesity development. The first model is the “calories in - calories out” idea: you gain weight if you eat more calories than you expend. It also says that something in the environment has changed over the last 50 or so years, unconsciously altering the brain, leading to increased food consumption and increased weight. The environmental change is not defined but researchers suspect ultra-processed foods are the culprit. The second model states that sugar is the culprit – specifically, high glycemic index carbohydrates that stimulate insulin. The increased insulin stimulates fat storage and increases how much we eat. Since the Western diet is high in sugar and ultra-processed foods, both of these models explain at least some of the current obesity epidemic. The third model — the obesogen model — states that obesogens alter metabolism. Most chemicals disrupt hormonal signaling pathways in various tissues that control energy intake, nutrient handling and body weight. Everyone is born pre-polluted with obesogens and exposure continues throughout life. Exposure to these obesogens at any time can increase weight gain but when it’s early in life (in utero and early childhood), it disrupts the normal development of fatty tissue, liver, gastrointestinal tract, brain and tissues regulating metabolism. These permanent changes can lead to obesity later in life, making it easier to gain weight and more challenging to lose it and to keep the weight off. The fourth model states that tissues have metabolism sensors that detect when there is sufficient fuel and produce small amounts of reactive oxygen species that tell the pancreas to release more insulin and fat tissue to make more fat. Both obesogens and ultra-processed foods stimulate these reactive oxygen species inappropriately in large amounts, which causes overeating. Obesogens are the common thread Obesogens are a unifying and key part of the obesity models, affecting all known key activities associated with both the first and second models.Regarding the “calories in - calories out” model, the changes that cause unconscious altered brain control of appetite can come from ultra-processed foods and obesogens (which also stimulate reactive oxygen species). Concerning the “sugar is the culprit” model, both obesogens and reactive oxygen species stimulate insulin, increasing fat storage. In the future, there should be less focus on individual models and more emphasis on a comprehensive model that includes obesogens and reactive oxygen species as essential contributors to obesity.How we can reduce obesogen exposure The good news is that we know many obesogens by name, chemicals that come from fossil fuels and plastics (BPA, phthalates, PFAS), flame retardants and some food additives, emulsifiers and colorants found in ultra-processed food. We also know where their exposures come from and how many act to increase weight gain. Decreasing human exposure to obesogens, particularly early in life, will prevent obesity. Personal changes can help, like filtering drinking water and using organic household products, cleaners and pesticides, and eliminating plastics, canned food and ultra-processed food.However, it is unrealistic to expect consumers or clinicians to prevent obesity alone. Instead, policymakers and regulators need to develop public health policies that will regulate and remove these harmful chemicals from products.Want to learn more? EHN’s guide to Obesogens: Chemicals that cause weight gain.Publication: Obesogens: a unifying theory for the global rise in obesity. Heindel JJ, Lustig RH, Howard S, Corkey BE. Int J Obes (Lond). 2024 Jan 11. doi: 10.1038/s41366-024-01460-3. Open access.Video: Are we there yet? Unifying model of obesity, by Nicholas Norwitz, about this paper.Webinar March 19, featuring Dr. Heindel: Obesogens: A unifying theory for the global rise in obesity. The webinar will be recorded and available at that link.Dr. Heindel coordinated three major review articles on obesogens published in 2022 in the journal Biomedical Pharmacology.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the test despite an agency committee of experts voting overwhelmingly against recommending approval.

Academic experts also criticise UN Food and Agriculture Organization for dismissing alternative proteinsThe omission of meat-eating reduction from proposals in a UN roadmap to tackle the climate crisis and end hunger is “bewildering”, according to academic experts.The group also criticised the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s report for “dismissing” the potential of alternative proteins, such as plant-based meat, to reduce the impact of livestock on the environment. Continue reading...

Pythons turn their food into meat pretty efficiently, a study finds, making them an intriguing alternative to climate-unfriendly cows

Two House Democrats press Mississippi on the use of water infrastructure funds. Meanwhile, floods’ effect on food insecurity is... complicated, and hurricanes are poised to get wetter and faster. This is Overnight Energy & Environment, your source for the latest news focused on energy, the environment and beyond. For The Hill, we’re Rachel Frazin and...

Past Presentation | Unbroken Grounds explains the critical role food will play in the next frontier of our efforts to solve the environmental crisis. It explores four areas of agriculture that aim to change our relationship to the land and oceans. Most of our food is produced using methods that reduce biodiversity, decimate soil and contribute to climate change. We believe our food can and should be a part of the solution to the environmental crisis -- grown, harvested and produced in ways that restore our land, water and wildlife. The film tells the story of four groups that are pioneers in the fields of regenerative agriculture, regenerative grazing, diversified crop development and restorative fishing.

We love hearing it all! And sometimes we even seek out experts to address a topic we think deserves more analysis or a fresh take. In all cases, we’re delighted to provide a platform for a wide range of ardent, intelligent contributors. Here are some of our favorites from a long list of opinion and […] The post Our Best Op-eds and Commentary of 2022 appeared first on Civil Eats.

Leafy greens are valuable for their dietary fiber and nutrients, yet they may also carry dangerous pathogens. Lettuce, in particular, has frequently been linked to...

It has long been believed that breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from allergic conditions, such as eczema and food allergies, compared to formula-fed...

A new analysis by Consumer Reports shows that pesticides have contaminated the US fruit and vegetable supply – even some organicsWhat’s safe to eat? Here is the pesticide risk level for each fruit and vegetableWatermelon, green beans and bell peppers are among the many common fruits and vegetables found in US supermarkets that contain potentially unsafe levels of pesticides, according to an analysis published today by Consumer Reports.The new report – which analyzed seven years of US Department of Agriculture data on commonly eaten fruits and vegetables – offers one of the most comprehensive evaluations to date of pesticides found in US produce. The data was based on nearly 30,000 fruit and vegetable samples, including fresh, frozen, canned and organic, collected from supermarkets by the USDA as part of routine pesticide testing. Consumer Reports built a massive database to analyze the data – and scored different foods to provide actionable recommendations to help consumers shop and eat with less risk. Continue reading...

Past Presentation | Juan ‘Accidentes’ Dominguez is on his biggest case ever. On behalf of twelve Nicaraguan banana workers he is tackling Dole Food Co. in a ground-breaking legal battle for their use of a banned pesticide that sterilized workers. Can he beat the giant, or will the corporation get away with it? In the suspenseful documentary Bananas!, filmmaker Fredrik Gertten sheds new light on the global politics of food.

Now Playing | Talitha, who works in the non-profit sector, finds ways to make her dollar stretch by dumpster diving* to rescue and reclaim unused food. Director How is a graduate of the prestigious MFA Directing program at the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television. *Miriam-Webster: The practice of searching through public trash receptacles for edible food or discarded items that retain some use or value.

Past Presentation | This “important film,” as described by Paul McCartney, addresses how, due to quintupling of meat consumption since 1960 in the West–where cardiovascular disease and cancer are epidemic, 65 billion land animals are slaughtered every year and 30% of all grain is fed to those animals while globally 1.8 billion people suffer starvation. The director spent 3 years traveling throughout Europe, India, and the United States to research dietary lifestyles. Meeting with expert physicians, nutritionists, veterinarians, behavioral scientists, activists, agronomists and farmers led to one solution, a simple one that restored our own health and the health of our planet: Food Matters, You Matter!

Past Presentation | From Farm To Table is an Eco-documentary film showcasing a school's commitment to integrating stewardship of our earth's resources into its curriculum. The film follows students working in their school garden and sustainable organic farm from planting to harvesting and demonstrates the link between fresh locally grown sustainable products and healthier eating while simultaneously building community and promoting the stewardship of our earth's resources. The important issues of conservation, preservation, biodiversity and animal welfare are addressed. In conclusion, as a call to action we are encouraged to learn more, ask questions and take action by growing our own food and buying local food.

Past Presentation | GMO OMG director and concerned father Jeremy Seifert is in search of answers. How do GMOs affect our children, the health of our planet, and our freedom of choice? And perhaps the ultimate question, which Seifert tests himself: is it even possible to reject the food system currently in place, or have we lost something we can’t gain back? These and other questions take Seifert on a journey from his family’s table to Haiti, Paris, Norway, and the lobby of agra-giant Monsanto, from which he is unceremoniously ejected. Along the way we gain insight into a question that is of growing concern to citizens the world over: what's on your plate?

Past Presentation | Hungry for Justice: Spotlight on the South provides a snapshot of the injustices present in our current food system and introduces one of the promising market-based solutions that has arisen—Food Justice Certification. It tells the story of one farm in the South and their commitment to focus on social justice issues for their farmworkers by seeking this certification and market label. Food Justice Certification, a project of the Agricultural Justice Project (AJP), is a unique program in the domestic fair trade movement as it is the only verification program in the marketplace that has included farmworkers and farmworker representatives in the development of the certification standards and includes them in the verification process.

Cannabis has been king in this rural area of northern California. But as prices plummet, communities and business owners are hurting, with no clear solutions in sight. Many blame Proposition 64 for undermining small growers.

Past Presentation | People are increasingly aware of the origins of their food and the effects of chemicals in agriculture. Numen brings the same analysis to our healthcare system, providing both a sobering view and a vision of safe, elective and sustainable medicine.

Past Presentation | Parody in the style of black-and-white film noir that uses clips from old films to reveal a mystery involving the global economy: An insane flux of food export and import. A hidden crime is revealed by classic actors and a classic film noir score.

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Past Presentation | This short documentary shares the story of Molokaʻi homesteader Bobby Alcain, his views on growing food, and his hopes for Molokai's future. This film was created by ʻOhana Learning Alliance (OLA Molokaʻi) students who frequently visit Uncle Bobby's farm for their papa mahiʻai (farming class).

Food sources are dwindling in the Canadian lagoon where the 2-year-old killer whale, named by local First Nations people, has been stranded since last month.

Past Presentation | Vegucated is a feature-length documentary that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. Part sociological experiment, part science class, and part adventure story, Vegucated showcases the rapid and at times comedic evolution of three people who share one journey and ultimately discover their own paths in creating a kinder, cleaner, greener world, one bite at a time.

Past Presentation | The story of organic agriculture told by those who built the movement. A motley crew of back-to-the-landers, spiritual seekers, and farmers’ sons and daughters rejected chemical farming and set out to explore organic alternatives. A heartfelt journey of change–from a small band of rebels to a cultural transformation where organic is mainstream. It’s the most successful outgrowth of the environmental impulse of the last 50 years.

Now Playing | The island of O'ahu is covered with coconut palms, but for fear of liability the vast majority of these sacred trees have been stripped of coconuts. The grassroots movement "Niu Now" is on a mission to restore the "niu," or coconut, as a fundamental food crop in Hawai'i and spread the Indigenous wisdom of "aloha 'āina:" loving land and serving people.

Mixotrophs, which have characteristics of both animals and plants, could help blunt the effects of marine heat waves on ocean ecosystems

Past Presentation | The story of three men's life-long search for a diet, which is good for our health, good for the environment and good for the future of the planet. The film features the ground-breaking work of Dr. T Colin Campbell in China exploring the link between diet and disease, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's use of diet to treat heart disease patients, and Professor Gidon Eshel's investigations into how our food choices contribute to global warming, land use and oceanic dead zones.

Past Presentation | Journey to the seemingly idyllic Hawaii, where communities are surrounded by experimental test sites for genetically engineered seed corn and pesticides sprayed upwind of homes, schools, hospitals, and shorelines. Discover what’s at stake for Hawaii from local activists, scientific experts, and healthcare professionals who explain the effects of environmental injustice. Join the international debate about pesticides and the movement to hold corporations and governments accountable for poisoning planet Earth. Jane Goodall: “I hope that this film is shown around the world, that it wins every prize out there, that it wakes people up and generates anger.”

Now Playing | Voices of Transition is an enthusiastic documentary on farmer- and community-led responses to food insecurity in a scenario of climate change, peak oil, and economic crisis. Concrete examples from Cuba, France, and the United Kingdom tell of a future society where our monoculture deserts will be restored to living soil, where fields will be introduced into our cities, and where independence from oil will help us live a richer, more fulfilling life.

Past Presentation | Humans are literally connected to the rest of the natural world through our DNA. But today’s highly processed foods, pesticide based monoculture farming, increasing urbanization, obsession with technology, and destruction of the natural environment distance us further and further from the world we co-evolved with. The explosive growth of technology is driving profound changes in every aspect of human civilization. The benefits of our new found electronic interconnectivity are incalculable. But could the tsunami of chronic and autoimmune diseases that modern societies are experiencing be related to our increasing disconnection from nature?