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