Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that heavily subsidized biogas digesters pose a risk to rural communities and are not the climate-change solution they’re made out to be? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Chloe Waterman, M.S., Senior Program Manager for Climate Friendly Foods at Friends of the Earth. Waterman discusses the hazards of Biogas and key points from the Friends of the Earth report on the topic, titled: “Biogas or Bull***? The Deceptive Promise of Manure Biogas as a Methane Solution.” Related website: Friends of the Earth:https://foe.org/resources/biogas-or-bull/ Big Oil and Big Ag Ponzi Scheme: Factor Farm Biogas (Food and Water Watch): https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2024/01/09/the-big-oil-and-big-ag-ponzi-scheme-factory-farm-biogas/ Food System Reform Act: https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-introduces-package-of-bills-to-reform-us-food-system

Did you know that cattle are not the “climate change killers” they’ve been made out to be? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Marianne Landzettel, journalist and author of Sustainable Meat Production and Processing: Local, Profitable and Humane. Landzettel describes differences in agriculture in the EU, UK and US, and presents evidence supporting the benefits of livestock, and in particular cattle, raised in a regenerative fashion, to help mitigate climate change, and protect soil health. Landzettel explains the climate impacts of feedlot cattle fed grain vs. those responsibly grazed on grasslands. She discusses the benefits of the “livestock” below ground, organic-rich soil, and humane slaughter. Related website: www.londoncowgirl.com

Did you know that there is solid science behind concerns regarding the safety of genetically modified crops? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Timothy Wise, MS, author of Eating Tomorrow: Agribusiness, Family Farmers, and the Battle for the Future of Food, and Senior Advisor at the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy. Wise discusses GM corn, and the impact of the U.S. Mexico Canada Trade Agreement (formerly NAFTA) on Mexican food sovereignty. Related website: https://www.iatp.org/about/staff/timothy-wise Mexico Defends GM Corn Restrictions with Science: An Analysis of Mexico’s response in the USMCA dispute: https://www.iatp.org/mexicos-science-based-defense-gm-corn-restrictions

Did you know that 80% of the avocadoes consumed in the U.S. are imported from Mexico? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Alexander Sammon, politics writer for Slate, journalist and author of “Forbidden Fruit: The anti-avocado militias of Michoacan.” Sammon describes the impact of U.S. trade policies on avocado imports, the environmental impacts of avocado production, and the violence related to avocado farming in Mexico. Note: Cinco de Mayo is the second largest avocado consuming day in the U.S. Related website: https://harpers.org/archive/2023/11/forbidden-fruit-avocado-militias-michoacan-mexico/

Did you know that anti-trust legislation helps protect our democracy? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Austin Frerick, author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America’s Food Industry. Frerick discusses the dangers of monopolies, consolidation, and exploitation in our food system – how we lost fair markets, and who is getting rich at taxpayer expense. Related website: https://www.austinfrerick.com/

Did you know that prenatal exposure to glyphosate has been associated with shorter gestational time in utero, decreased fetal growth and preterm birth? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Cynthia Curl, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Co-Director, Center for Excellence in Environmental Health & Safety, at Boise State University. Curl founded and directs the Agricultural Health Lab where her research focuses on the intersection between agriculture and human health. Curl discusses her recent research on pesticide exposure during pregnancy, and the impact of consuming organic vs. conventional diets. Related website: https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/EHP12768 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37493357/ Agriculture Health Lab: https://www.boisestate.edu/agriculturalhealth/

Did you know that climate change is an imminent threat to human health, yet most schools do not provide education about climate change and its health impacts? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Michelle Loosli, Senior Manager for Climate Education at the American Public Health Association’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity. Loosli discusses a new educational tool kit on climate and health for students in grades 9-12. She explains climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, and provides ways youth can take action towards climate repair, rather than despair. Note: April 1-8 is Worldwide Climate and Justice Education Week Related website: www.apha.org/Climate-Change https://www.apha.org/-/media/Files/PDF/topics/climate/Climate_and_Health_Youth_Education_Toolkit.pdf

Did you know that fossil fuel subsidies contribute to the “cheap” cost of plastic? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Bev Thorpe, Co-Founder of Clean Production Action, a resource to advance a non-toxic economy. Thorpe describes the “triple planetary crisis,” and shares strategies to move away from harmful fossil-fuel based chemicals used widely in our food system. Related website: Clean Production Action’s “Green Screen:” https://www.cleanproduction.org/programs/greenscreen

Did you know that heavy metals are present in a wide variety of our foods? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Conrad Choiniere, Ph.D. Director, Office of Analytics and Outreach, Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Choiniere discusses common heavy metals in our food supply, and specifically the recent investigation into lead-contaminated cinnamon applesauce. Choiniere chairs FDA's Toxic Elements Working Group, which prioritizes the Administration's efforts to reduce exposures to lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals from foods to the greatest extent feasible. Related website: Closer to Zero: https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/closer-zero-reducing-childhood-exposure-contaminants-foods https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-elevated-lead-chromium-levels-cinnamon-applesauce-pouches-november-2023?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Did you know that regenerative agriculture includes indigenous practices of land stewardship? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, Co-founder and CEO of Tree-Range Farms based in Northfield, MN, and founder of the non-profit Regenerative Agriculture Alliance. Haslett-Marroquin discusses key features of “regenerative” agriculture. He also describes unique features of his poultry operation, including agroforestry, silvopasture, and indigenous insights. Related website: Tree Range Chickens: www.treerangefarms.com Regenerative Agriculture Alliance: https://www.regenagalliance.org/

Did you know that Salmonella is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness in the U.S.? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Richard Raymond, M.D., former Undersecretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Raymond discusses Salmonella, it’s prevalence in the food supply, ways to reduce risk, and potentially high-risk foods that he personally avoids. (Part 2 of 2) Related website: https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/salmonella-food.html

Did you know that food recalls help prevent people from eating a food that could result in illness or injuries? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Richard Raymond, M.D., former Undersecretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Raymond discusses food recalls: reasons why food is recalled, the possible fates of recalled food, and specific cases related to the bacteria, E. coli 0157:H7. (Part 1 of 2) Related website: Food Recalls:https://foodprint.org/blog/the-oft-ignored-environmental-impact-of-food-recalls-food-waste/ FSIS: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/recalls Food Safety News:https://www.foodsafetynews.com/

Did you know that artists can play a unique role in helping us think critically about the global influence of agrichemical companies on our food system? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Kirsten Stolle, a visual artist whose works intersect art, science and culture to examine the global influence of agrichemical companies on our food system. Stolle describes her artwork, and explains how she helps viewers see propaganda, corporate greenwashing and advertising strategies, while promoting critical thinking and visual literacy. Her unique collages reflect her concern with industrial food production and the influence of biotechnology. She delves into the historical ties between Monsanto, Bayer, and Dow and chemical warfare. Her work is included in permanent collections and exhibits in museums and galleries across the U.S. and the EU. Related website: Chemical Bouquet: https://www.kirstenstolle.com/chemical-bouquet https://www.thebillboardcreative.com/interviews/kirsten-stolle

Did you know that “foodscaping” involves the planning, design, management, and nurturing of ecological edible landscapes? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Matt Lebon, owner of Custom Foodscaping. Lebon, who provides education and leadership to foodscapers nationally, discusses the multiple benefits of creating beautiful, edible landscapes, how to deal with challenges and reap abundant rewards. Related website: https://www.customfoodscaping.com/ https://www.thefoodscaper.com/

Did you know that one year ago the community of East Palestine Ohio was poisoned by a Norfolk Southern train derailment and the resulting purposeful burning of vinyl chloride? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jess Conard, Appalachia Director at Beyond Plastics who discusses the ongoing public health consequences facing her community. Conard explains that any community in close proximity to rail lines is at risk for a similar fate, and encourages citizen action to encourage the EPA to ban vinyl chloride.https://www.beyondplastics.org/actions/ban-vinyl-chloride Related website: https://www.beyondplastics.org/actions/ban-vinyl-chloride Grist: One Year After the Toxic Train Derailment…https://grist.org/accountability/is-east-palestine-safe-depends-who-you-ask/

Did you know that the drugs Ozempic and Wegovy are revolutionizing the medical treatment of obesity and related disorders? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Mary Donkersloot, RDN, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and host of the Smart Eating Show. The two will discuss the pros and cons of this new class of obesity drugs and drug-free ways to tweak our diets to increase satiety and reach a healthier body weight. Related website: https://www.youtube.com/@smarteatingshow7793 Impact on food industry: https://foodinstitute.com/focus/ozempics-business-impact-weight-loss-drug-could-make-snack-makers-tighten-belts/

Did you know that there are multiple benefits resulting from the co-location of solar panels with agricultural production? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Byron Kominek, founder of Jack’s Solar Garden and Executive Director of the Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center in Longmont, CO - the largest commercially active agrivoltaics system in the United States. Kominek describes how solar panels can benefit farmworkers and livestock and influence plant growth, while generating climate-friendly energy. Related website: https://www.coagrivoltaic.org/

Did you know that the majority of corn seeds planted in the United States are coated with a powerful pesticide that harms pollinators, birds and other wildlife? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Elizabeth Hilborn, DVM, registered nurse, farmer and author of Restoring Eden: Unearthing the Agribusiness Secret that Poisoned my Farming Community (Chicago Review Press, 2023). Hilborn recounts her tragic story about how neonicotinoid seed coatings washed onto her farm, and the resulting devastating impact on wildlife and garden crops. Hilborn connects the dots – agricultural practices/pesticides, lack of government oversight, and public and environmental health. Related website: https://elizabethhilborn.com/

Did you know that exercise benefits both physical health and cognition? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Michelle Gray, Ph.D., Head of the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, Director of the Office for Studies on Aging, and Professor of Exercise Science at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. Gray discusses age-related muscle loss and the functional and cognitive benefits of exercise, along with adequate protein intake. Related website: https://exercisescience.uark.edu/

Did you know that Dollar Stores are the fastest growing food retailer in the U.S.? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Sara John, Ph.D., Deputy Director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and lead author of “Stretching the Dollar: Community Informed Opportunities to Improve Healthy Food Access through Dollar Stores.” John discusses the steady growth of Dollar Stores, their potential impact on community health, and policy interventions to limit their expansion and incentivize improvements in the nutritional value of food sold at the stores. Related website: https://www.cspinet.org/resource/stretching-dollar Take action: https://www.cspinet.org/article/dollar-general-dont-discount-families