Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that sales of non-GMO verified products continue to grow in consumer popularity and sales? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Megan Westgate, Executive Director of the non-profit Non-GMO Project. Westgate explains what the non-GMO Project’s butterfly label tells consumers, why the verification matters, and how the FDA’s label for “bioengineered” food is confusing and misleading to consumers who want to avoid GMO food ingredients. Westgate emphasizes consumer power in the marketplace to shape our food system and create a more resilient future.Related website:  www.nonGMOproject.org

Did you know that gender influences agricultural research and practice? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Hale Ann Tufan, Ph.D., associate professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science with an adjunct appointment in the Department of Global Development at Cornell University. Tufan’s work focuses on gender equity and social inclusion. She discusses the roles and cultural positioning of men and women in agriculture, science, and health, and women’s disproportionate vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change. See related United Nations report: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/explainer/2022/02/explainer-how-gender-inequality-and-climate-change-are-interconnectedRelated website:  https://cals.cornell.edu/hale-ann-tufan#about

Did you know that the way in which issues are framed in the media influences how they are understood and acted upon? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Jillian Fry, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at Towson University (MD), where she researches the intersection of public health, the food system, and environmental sustainability. Fry discusses her research paper, “A Tale of Two Urgent Food System Challenges: Comparative Analysis of Approaches to Reduce High-Meat Diets and Wasted Food as Covered in U.S. Newspapers.” She describes the differences in media framing of these two issues, which are critical in mitigating climate change.Related website:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2022/10/02/journalists-are-making-the-same-mistake-with-food-that-they-made-with-climate-change-scientists-say/?sh=712a121c4299

Did you know that Japanese Americans were denied land ownership because of their nationality? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with David Mas Masumoto, organic farmer, activist, and award-winning writer based in the Central Valley of California.  He is best known for his book, Epitaph for a Peach, which won the Julia Child Cookbook award and was a finalist for a James Beard award. In this interview, Masumoto will discuss his latest book, a memoir titled: Secret Harvests: A Hidden Story of Separation and the Resilience of a Family Farm, published by Red Hen Press. Masumoto describes the story of his long lost aunt, the immigrant and farmworker struggles, and the  history of Japanese-American internment during World War II.Related website:  https://www.masumoto.com/ 

Did you know that bottle bills have the potential to reduce the waste stream significantly, yet only nine states have beverage container deposit programs in place? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Nancy  Alderman, MES, founder and president of Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI), a non-profit organization composed of physicians and public health professionals who are dedicated to protecting human health from environmental harms. Alderman discusses the importance of bottle bills in significantly reducing the waste stream. The Container Recycling Institute provides statistics, myths and facts about bottle bills: https://www.container-recycling.org/Related website:  www.ehhi.org 

Did you know that global food production puts enormous environmental pressure on our planet? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Ben Halpern, Ph.D, marine ecologist and conservation scientist at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara. Halpern discusses his recent paper titled: “The Environmental Footprint of Global Food Production,” and describes four pressures of food production: greenhouse gas emissions, freshwater use, habitat disturbance, nutrient pollution; he also discusses the costs and benefits of “efficient” food production. Related resource: IPCC: https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/chapter/chapter-5/ Related website:  The Environmental Footprint of Global Food Production:https://www.rootsofchange.org/wp-content/uploads/Environmental-impact-of-Global-Food-Production.pdf 

Did you know that mushrooms are more closely related to animals than plants? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Christopher Hobbs, Ph.D., internationally renowned botanist, mycologist, research scientist and author of Christopher Hobbs’s Medicinal Mushrooms: The Essential Guide: Boost Immunity, Improve Memory, Fight Cancer, Stop Infection, and Expand Your Consciousness. Hobbs discusses the unique traits and multiple benefits of fungi, from human to planetary health.Related website:  www.christopherhobbs.com 

Did you know that Black farmers faced grave injustices, racist policies and land loss while attempting to feed their families and communities? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Gail Myers, Ph.D., cultural anthropologist and creator and director of the multimedia documentary film project, Rhythms of the Land: A Love Story of Land and Family. Myers discusses her decades of interviewing African American farmers, the “eldest elders,” and shares their philosophies, injustices, and challenges in obtaining and holding onto farmland. Myers captures agrarian legacies and calls her project a “Valentine to generations of Black farmers.” Related website:  www.rhythmsoftheland.com 

Did you know that many chocolate products contain unsafe levels of cadmium and lead? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Tod Cooperman, MD, President, Founder, and Editor-in-Chief at ConsumerLab.com, the leading independent evaluator of dietary supplements and nutritional products. Cooperman discusses Consumer Lab’s chocolate testing results and the dangers of lead and cadmium in relation to beneficial flavanols in chocolate. Cooperman also discusses whether any dietary supplements offer protection against Covid-19, the benefits of masks, and a new report on powdered fruit and vegetable supplements.Related website:  www.consumerlab.com 

Did you know that organic agriculture is a key to mitigating climate change, building strong rural economies and supporting public health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn, for her interview with Lena Brook, M.S., Director, Food Campaigns, Healthy People & Thriving Communities Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. Brook defines “organic” agriculture, discusses the new report: “Grow Organic: The Climate, Health and Economic Case for Expanding Organic Agriculture,” and the public policies necessary to support it.Related website:  https://www.nrdc.org/experts/lena-brook/new-report-unlocking-potential-organic-agriculture