Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that some of the most popular brands of chocolate rely on child labor/slavery on cocoa plantations? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Terrence Collingsworth, Founder and Executive Director of International Rights Advocates, which works globally to stop corporate human rights abuses and end modern day slavery. Collingsworth will discuss how children are kidnapped, taken to cocoa plantations, and the conditions of their forced labor. He exposes chocolate brands to avoid, and how to find chocolate that is free of child slavery. See: https://www.slavefreechocolate.org/ethical-chocolate-companies. To see films exposing child labor in the chocolate industry, see the Dark Side of Chocolate: https://www.slavefreechocolate.org/dark-side-of-chocolate and The Chocolate War: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9K2yevB8IURelated Websites: https://www.internationalrightsadvocates.org/

Did you know that “essential” grocery store workers’ average earnings are less than a living wage? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with John Marshall, CFA, Director of Capital Strategies for the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) 3000, and Assistant to the President at UFCW 324. Marshall will discuss the report, “Bullies at the Table: Consequences of Understaffing by Kroger and Albertsons.” He will also pull back the curtain on unseen challenges faced by grocery store workers, discuss the benefits of labor unions, and compare e-commerce vs. in-store shopping on supermarket bottom lines. Marshall references the role of Wall Street and negative impacts of mergers in this presentation: Kroger/Albertsons merger analysis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=als1GdcKSzU and Consumer Reports investigation into overcharging at Kroger stores: https://www.consumerreports.org/money/questionable-business-practices/kroger-stores-overcharging-shoppers-on-sale-items-a9659540552/ . Learn more about UFCW here: https://www.ufcw.org/about/Related Websites: Bullies at the Table: https://economicrt.org/publication/bullies-at-the-table/

Daniel Rosen, Co-founder of the Coalition for Carceral Nutrition and a Public Health Fellow at the Bard Prison Initiative, sheds light on the food crisis in prisons. Incarcerated from 2015 to 2021, he labels prison food as ‘dietary malpractice.’ The discussion reveals how budget cuts lead to inadequate meals that harm inmates' health. Rosen also highlights the irony of prison gardens that produce food but are not accessible to inmates. He calls for urgent reforms to uphold dignity and nutrition, linking food quality to mental health and safety.

Did you know that breastfeeding may be the “biological norm,” but it is a learned skill for both mothers and babies. Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Jennifer Smilowitz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension in the Department of Nutrition, at the U. of CA, Davis, and Director of Scientific and Strategic Development for the International Milk Genomics Consortium. Smilowitz will discuss the multiple benefits of breastfeeding for maternal, child and planetary health, the policies needed to support breastfeeding, and how breast milk uniquely protects infants’ health as well as contributes to sustainability and community resilience.  Note: August is World Breastfeeding MonthRelated Websites: https://www.milkgenomics.org/splash/

Did you know that the Bill Gates Foundation has tremendous influence over global health, journalism, and agricultural policy? join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Tim Schwab, investigative journalist and author of The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with the Myth of the Good Billionaire. Schwab critically examines the influence and impacts of the Gates Foundation’s philanthropy, as well as how to build a movement against oligarchy. Schwab explains how Gates has successfully paved the way for corporate capture of public goods, and that many of his ventures have ended in failure, leaving communities worse off. Web: https://timschwab.substack.com/aboutRelated Websites: https://timschwab.substack.com/about

Did you know that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” are increasingly being added to U.S. pesticide products, contaminating waterways and posing threats to human health? join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Nathan Donley, Ph.D., Environmental Health Science Director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Donley discusses  a recent paper: https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/ehp13954 which describes  how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” increasingly end up in widely used pesticides,  and the risks these chemicals pose to our environment and public health. Web: https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/ehp13954 and https://biologicaldiversity.org/Related Websites: https://biologicaldiversity.org/

Did you know that animal abuse takes place on factory farms and slaughterhouses? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Gail A. Eisnitz, Chief Investigator for the Humane Farming Association and author of Out of Sight, An Undercover Investigator’s Fight for Animal Rights and Her Own Survival (Skyhorse Publishing, May 2025). Eisnitz discusses her work and ways we can help improve livestock conditions, and the animal welfare approved label. Related Websites: www.hfa.org

Did you know that powerful language and imagery are distractions from the reality of industrialized agriculture? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Will Potter, investigative journalist and author of Little Red Barns: Hiding the Truth from Farm to Fable. Potter discusses the connections between factory farms and authoritarianism, and explains how “bearing witness” is an act of both love and defiance.  (Part 2 of 2). Related Websites: https://www.willpotter.com/littleredbarns

Will Potter is an award-winning investigative journalist and author known for exploring social justice and environmental issues. In this conversation, he dives into 'ag-gag' laws that obscure animal abuse in factory farms. Potter discusses the historical context of these laws and their detrimental effect on transparency and accountability. He draws parallels to Upton Sinclair's writings and examines the long-standing injustices in industrial agriculture. The chat highlights ongoing challenges in animal welfare legislation and the need for greater public awareness.

Did you know that people living in arctic regions have some of the highest body burdens of toxic chemicals? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Pamela Miller, MS, Founder and Executive Director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics and Co-Chair of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN). Miller discusses the unique food system, climate and environmental toxin challenges faced by those living in Alaska and the broader Arctic region.Related Websites: www.akaction