Eating Matters

We hear about greenhouse gas emissions and their consequences all the time, but who’s measuring those emissions? How can countries use that data to develop more sustainable methods for producing and distributing food? Francesco Tubiello, a senior statistician and climate change specialist with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, joins host Jenna Liut to speak about his most recent report and the role of his findings in pinpointing the most energy-intensive nodes of our global food system.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Eating Matters by becoming a member!Eating Matters is Powered by Simplecast.

How does nutrition impact your ability to conceive? What are key nutrients and vitamins and their recommended food sources for boosting both women AND men’s fertility? Are there multigenerational health effects of our dietary and lifestyle choices? Dr. Nicole Avena, research neuroscientist, nutrition expert and author of the newly released book, “What to Eat When You Want to Get Pregnant” joins host Jenna Liut to discuss these questions and more!Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast.

Host Jenna Liut is joined by Leah Garcés, President of Mercy for Animals (MFA), an organization working to construct a compassionate food system and end commercial animal agriculture.  They discuss MFA’s undercover investigation into the horrific conditions of Costco’s chicken farm as profiled in New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s recent exposé, the concept of sentience, and what differentiates their work from other animal welfare organizations. Image courtesy of Mercy for Animals.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Eating Matters by becoming a member!Eating Matters is Powered by Simplecast. 

Host Jenna Liut welcomes the award-winning investigative journalist, Carey Gillam, back to show to discuss her new book, The Monsanto Papers: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man’s Search for Justice. A follow up to Gillam’s first book, Whitewash – an explosive expose on Monsanto and the health risks of its best-selling herbicide, Roundup – her new book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the landmark lawsuit against Monsanto and its implications for tens of thousands of plaintiffs worldwide. Informed by Gillam’s unfettered access to the legal team behind this historic lawsuit and over 80,000 pages of documents, The Monsanto Papers details the astounding extent to which the company went hide the deadly dangers of its products and corporate misdeeds – and the devastating human toll that it took.Photo Courtesy of Prayong Kotjuk.Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast.

We know that U.S. industrial agriculture has had monumental effects on our climate, but how has climate change reciprocally impacted our agricultural system? And, an even more pressing question, how close is our agricultural system to total collapse? In his new book, “Perilous Bounty: The Looming Collapse of American Farming and How We Can Prevent It,” Tom Philpott looks for answers in the nation’s primary farming hubs: California’s Central Valley and the Corn Belt of the Midwest, both of which are in a state of accelerating ecological decline. Host Jenna Liut sits down with Tom to talk about California water barons, toxic petrochemical stews, and why we should make almonds a special occasion snack.Photo Courtesy of Tom Philpott.Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast.

The US is a global leader of food waste, generating about 40 MILLION tons annually, which represents between 30 - 40% of the food supply. Within this waste stream are 10 million tons of perfectly usable vegetables that don’t make it to market. Recognizing the critical role this produce could play in tackling the dual challenges of food waste and limited availability of nutritious food for millions of Americans, Anna Hammond founded Matriark Foods, a startup that upcycles vegetable byproducts into healthy products for the benefit of people and the planet. Host Jenna Liut speaks with Anna about how she got her start and the impact the company is making as a solution for major inefficiencies in the food supply chain.Photo Courtesy of Matriark Foods.Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast.

The fight to eliminate hunger entails measures that go well beyond food banks, soup kitchens, and SNAP benefits. Prior to Biden’s inauguration and the release of the Administration's COVID & economic relief proposal, host Jenna Liut interviewed Joel Berg to discuss how higher wages, affordable housing, universal health care, school meals and nutritional education are each vital to ensuring widespread food security. Joel is the CEO of Hunger Free America, a national advocacy and direct service organization dedicated to designing programs and policies to end hunger in the U.S.Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast.

Longtime food and agriculture policy reporter, Chuck Abbott, helps us to understand our nation’s “farmer voting bloc” and its loyalty to Trump throughout the last two election cycles. What policies and belief systems have generated our rural-urban political divide? Chuck takes us through the trade war with China, agricultural subsidies, climate change debates, COVID-19 relief, and their collective impacts on the political allegiance of rural America. Finally, we consider what transformations the Biden administration might pose for U.S. agriculture. Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Eating Matters by becoming a member!Eating Matters is Powered by Simplecast.

Following up on our previous episode featuring Sanjay Rawal, director of the newly-released film, Gather, host Jenna Liut interviews a central character of the documentary: Native food practitioner, Nephi Craig. Chef Craig is the founder of both the Native American Culinary Association as well as Café Gozhóó where he also serves as the Executive Chef. They discuss Indigenous food systems and the modern colonial violence that continues to threaten them, as well as cultural appropriation in the culinary world. Chef Craig helps us to solidify our definition of food sovereignty and better understand the intersection of Native foods, cultural preservation, community health, and political autonomy. Eating Matters’ Amber Chong co-hosts.Photo Courtesy of Renan Ozturk. Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast.

Ever wonder why we don’t eat Bison meat in this country? This is a little known - but extremely important - part of American history that perfectly demonstrates one way the US government worked to systematically steal land from and decimate Native American people. It was a tactic that effectively communicated that ‘one dead buffalo is two dead Indians.’ Director Sanjay Rawal (Food Chains) joins host Jenna Liut to discuss his critically-acclaimed, newly-released documentary, Gather. The film demonstrates how Indigenous Americans are reclaiming their sovereignty over their annihilated ancestral food systems, while battling against the historical trauma brought on by colonialism and centuries of genocide. Eating Matters’ Amber Chong joins the show as co-host.Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast.

Host Jenna Liut interviews author Benjamin Lorr to talk about his new book, “The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket,” which delves into what it takes to get food onto grocery store shelves and who suffers the consequences of our increasing demand for cheap food and efficiency. Lorr pulls back the curtain on a notoriously secretive industry, interviewing people at every level – from the founder of Trader Joes to truck drivers transporting products to trafficked migrants in Myanmar and Thailand at the bottom of the commodity chain. This book is an absolute must read for anyone interested in our food system.Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast.

As the country prepares for President-elect Biden to take office in January, host Jenna Liut is joined by journalist Lisa Held to reflect on the major food and agricultural policy changes we have experienced since Trump took office and the long-term effects they will have on our food system.  Lisa is a senior policy reporter for Civil Eats and a fellow Heritage Radio Network host of the show, The Farm Report.   Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Eating Matters by becoming a member!Eating Matters is Powered by Simplecast.  

Host Jenna Liut interviews Turner Wyatt, Co-founder & CEO of the Upcycled Food Association, a nonprofit working to reduce food waste by growing the upcycled food economy. They discuss consumer demand upcycled products, UFA’s progress in creating an Upcycled Food Certification Standard, and of course, Brené Brown.Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Eating Matters by becoming a member!Eating Matters is Powered by Simplecast.  

Food systems expert and this year’s winner of the Julia Childs Award, Danielle Nierenberg, joins host Jenna Liut to talk about her work as the President of Food Tank, how COVID has lifted the veil on systematic issues plaguing our food system, and the importance of having uncomfortable conversions.Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast.

Host Jenna Liut kicks off the fall season with the one and only Marion Nestle to talk about her new book, "Let's Ask Marion: What You Need to Know about the Politics of Food, Nutrition, and Health" published by the University of California Press. The book features a series of short essays that explore how food intersects with politics, culture, identity, social class, inequity, and power. It's 4" x 4" and jam packed with everything you need to know about food politics today.Photo Courtesy of Bill Hayes.Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast. 

Host Jenna Liut speaks with farmer, educator, author, and food sovereignty activist, Leah Penniman. She is the Co-Founder, Co-Director and Program Manager of Soul Fire Farm in Petersburg, New York, and she is the author of the book, "Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land." For the past 20 years, Leah has worked to end racism and injustice in our food system by increasing farmland stewardship by people of color, promoting equity in food access, and training the next generation of activist farmers.Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast.

Host Jenna Liut speaks with environmental justice expert, Dr. Fatemah Shafiei about how communities of color are disproportionately affected by environmental hazard, the toll it takes on their collective health and overall wellbeing, and what is being done (and not done) to address these issues.  Dr. Shafiei is associate professor and chair of the Department of Political Science and director of environmental studies at Spelman College. She is also a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and has served as an environmental justice consultant for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Bates College. Dr. Shafiei has been an expert and a leader in advancing integration of sustainability into college, university, high school, and middle school curricula for more than two decades.In March, HRN began producing all of our 35 weekly shows from our homes all around the country. It was hard work stepping away from our little recording studio, but we know that you rely on HRN to share resources and important stories from the world of food each week. It’s been a tough year for all of us, but right now HRN is asking for your help. Every dollar that listeners give to HRN provides essential support to keep our mics on. We've got some fresh new thank you gifts available, like our limited edition bandanas.Keep Eating Matters on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast. 

Host Jenna Liut speaks with Devon Klatell, Managing Director of the Food Initiative at the Rockefeller Foundation, on the longstanding work the Foundation has done to advance a healthier and more equitable food system as well as its recent focus on supporting school nutrition programs in the U.S. during the ongoing COVID crisis. In March, HRN began producing all of our 35 weekly shows from our homes all around the country. It was hard work stepping away from our little recording studio, but we know that you rely on HRN to share resources and important stories from the world of food each week. It’s been a tough year for all of us, but right now HRN is asking for your help. Every dollar that listeners give to HRN provides essential support to keep our mics on. We've got some fresh new thank you gifts available, like our limited edition bandanas.Keep Eating Matters on the air: become an HRN Member today! Go to heritageradionetwork.org/donate. Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast.  

Host Jenna Liut speaks with Washington Post journalist, Laura Reiley, about her ongoing coverage of the effects that COVID-19 is having on the food supply chain, including why we have seen a paradoxical rise in both food waste and food insecurity; why the meat industry is being hit particularly hard; and the likelihood of impending food shortages in the U.S.Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast. 

Dr. David L. Katz, MD, MPH, co-author of the newly published book, "How to Eat: All Your Food & Diet Questions Answered," joins host Jenna Liut to discuss the incredibly important (and often unappreciated) role diet plays in your overall health, how it relates to the current COVID-19 epidemic, and simply, what you really need to know about how to eat.Eating Matters is powered by Simplecast.