What Doesn't Kill You

This week on What Doesn’t Kill You, Katy Keiffer is joined via the phone lines by Maureen Ogle, author of In Meat We Trust to talk about the history and evolution of the meat industry in the United States over the past 140 years! Learn how ideas surrounding animal agriculture led to colonizers taking land from Native Americans. Find out how World War II initiated factory farming and the onset of automated feeding procedures. Learn how health figures like Ancel Keys greatly hurt the meat industry’s profits after publishing some untrue nutritional deficits of beef. How did Ralph Nader’s influence turn the country on to meatless meals? Tune in to hear Maureen weigh in on how our nation can turn around its food system. This program has been sponsored by White Oak Pastures. Music by Dead Stars. “Anything that went wrong with the food system – no matter what the issue was – the meat packer’s were to blame!” [8:45] — Maureen Ogle on What Doesn’t Kill YouSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on What Doesn’t Kill You, Katy Keiffer is talking about the King Amendment to the Farm Bill with John Goodwin, Director of Animal Cruelty Policy for the Humane Society’s Animal Rescue Team, and Brian Klippenstein of Protect the Harvest. The King Amendment is a highly-debated measure that features unclear language concerning the regulation of transported agricultural products across state lines. The King Amendment also has repercussions on food safety, animal welfare, and more. Does the amendment prevent a state from regulating both in-state and out-of-state producers beyond federal standards, or does it only prohibit a state from setting production requirements for food sold in-state if the food is produced or manufactured in another state? Learn about the vitriolic opposing viewpoints of John and Brian’s groups, and why Katy believes that their clash is unproductive. This program has been sponsored by Tabard Inn. “It [King Amendment] really should have gone to at least one judiciary hearing where constitutional lawyers could really debate and vet this thing!” [23:10] — John Goodwin on What Doesn’t Kill YouSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bill Marler is an accomplished personal injury lawyer and national expert on foodborne illness litigation. He began representing victims of food-borne illness in 1993, when he represented Brianne Kiner, the most seriously injured survivor of the Jack in the Box E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, resulting in her landmark $15.6 million settlement. Since that time, Bill and his law partners at Marler Clark have represented thousands of individuals in claims against food companies whose contaminated products have caused serious injury and death. His advocacy for better food regulation has led to invitations to address local, national, and international gatherings on food safety, including testimony before the US House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. This week on What Doesn’t Kill You, Katy Keifer discusses a myriad of topics with Bill, including the Foster Farms Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak, HIMP, and antibiotic resistance. Tune in to hear Bill talk about food safety, solutions to foodborne illness, and why changes are not only doable but profitable. This program has been brought to you by Route 11 Potato Chips. “I would love to say that Foster Farms is a bad egg when it comes to poultry production, but realistically, they are just like every other producer when it comes to its salmonella profile.” [5:30] — Bill Marler on What Doesn’t Kill YouSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

J. Alfredo Gomez serves as a Director in the Natural Resources and Environment team of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). He is responsible for overseeing the team’s work in environmental protection and food safety issues. His environment and food safety portfolio currently includes work in cleanup of hazardous substances, drinking and clean water issues, ecosystem restoration, pesticides, toxic chemicals, climate change, and USDA’s and FDA’s efforts to provide a safe food supply. On today’s episode of What Doesn’t Kill You, host Katy Keiffer speaks with Alfredo on the issue of HIMP, the HACCP-Based Inspection Models Project, and asks him more about the 15-year old pilot program and it’s effectiveness. With GAO recently publishing a report on HIMP, Alfredo explains his concerns about the program and poultry standards. Later,Alfredo speaks about the recent salmonella outbreak within Foster Farms chickens, and explains whether HIMP could have been a factor in this recent event. This program has been sponsored by Tabard Inn. Music by Hardbodies. “GAO talks to everybody, we gather comments, and we draft our reports to make sure we get our facts correct.” [18:35] — Alfredo Gomez on What Doesn’t Kill YouSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on What Doesn’t Kill You, Katy Keiffer focuses on two separate reports, one by the Pew Commission and the other by the Animal Agriculture Alliance, regarding the state of animal agriculture. Katy talks with Emily Metz Meredith of the Animal Agriculture Alliance. Emily serves as the Communications Director for the Alliance and manages all aspects of the communications strategy. She is responsible for the Issues Management Committee and coordinating effective responses to the issues of the industry. Meredith also works closely with the media and develops the Alliance’s online outreach efforts. Using both traditional and social media, she educates urban consumers about the importance of animal agriculture. Tune in to hear how Emily views groups like the Pew Commission regarding the hot button topic of antibiotic resistance. How have resistant pathogens grown since the spread of antibiotics? Hear why veterinarians are getting involved with antibiotic administration in animal agriculture. This program has been brought to you by Route 11 Potato Chips. “It’s easy for us who don’t raise animals for food production to make suggestions, but we are not the ones on the ground doing the work. We don’t see the forest for the trees.” [13:40] — Emily Meredith on What Doesn’t Kill YouSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Marion Nestle is a Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, which she chaired from 1988-2003. She is also Professor of Sociology at NYU and Visiting Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell. She earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition from University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of the recent book, Eat Drink Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Food Politics. This week on What Doesn’t Kill You, Katy Keiffer catches up with Dr. Nestle and covers a wealth of food politics topics! Tune in to hear discussions concerning food labeling, subsidies, soda taxes, and more. Get updated about antibiotic usage in animal livestock! This program has been brought to you by Tabard Inn. “Corporations and the existing food system are being supported in many different ways, and all that foodie advocates like me are asking is that the system be tweaked a little bit in order to promote healthier choices.” [18:45] — Dr. Marion Nestle on What Doesn’t Kill YouSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Learn about the science and economics behind snack foods with Michael Moss, author of Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, on this week’s edition of What Doesn’t Kill You. Katy Keiffer chats with Michael about the origins of sugary, salty snacks in Kellogg’s. Did you know that John Harvey Kellogg was originally very against sugar? Learn about the marketing of snack foods, and the parallels and connections with tobacco advertising. Hear what forces are causing many developing countries to adopt the American tradition of snack foods and leaving scratch-cooking behind. Find out how food scientists engineer foods to appeal to a certain “bliss point” in eaters! How are the USDA and FDA involved with growing cheese consumption in the United States? Find out all of this and more on this week’s installment of What Doesn’t Kill You! Thanks to our sponsor, Route 11 Potato Chips. “While the content of salt, sugar, and fat might not have changed in many products like sodas, but the amount of ‘snack-able’ foods that replaced meals increased.” [7:15] — Michael Moss on What Doesn’t Kill YouSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tom Philpott is a food and agriculture correspondent for Mother Jones and the cofounder of Maverick Farms, a center for sustainable food education in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. For five years, Philpott served as a columnist, food editor, and senior food writer for the online environmental site Grist. His work on food politics has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Orion, OnEarth, Gastronomica, and the Guardian, and he has been interviewed by Terry Gross on Fresh Air. Before moving to the farm in 2004, Philpott worked as a financial journalist in Mexico City and New York, most recently writing daily dispatches on the stock market as equity research editor for Reuters.com. In 2011, Utne Reader named him one of “25 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World.” On this special episode of What Doesn’t Kill You, Phil talks about the use of corn and soy as fuel additives, and how commodity farming creates various issues in the food business today, including raised costs and environmental effects. Given the dwindling of the farm population, Phil also talks about what he sees as the way forward for farmers today, and how and if the new farm bill will deal with these current issues. Tune-in to learn more about these problems, and how to continue staying involved in these important matters today through motherjones.com, or connecting with Tom himself. This program has been sponsored by Heritage Foods USA. “Both the House and the Senate in the past year have passed a version of the farm bill that is shifting to subsidized insurance. It’s this crazy subsidy system that will continue this chain of farmers just getting by.” [26:10] — Tom Philpott on What Doesn’t KIll YouSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on What Doesn’t Kill You, Katy Keiffer is talking expiration date labeling with Dana Gunders of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Recently, the NRDC and The Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic just released a report on food waste in the US called “The Dating Game: How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America”, and Dana is on the program to review the report and dispel concerns regarding food labeling and food safety. Find out what organizations are in charge of determining “use by” and “sell by” dates, and how governmental regulation could potentially lead to better consistency. Learn how these dates mislead consumers and often lead to unnecessary food waste. How is date labeling also tied up in the controversies surrounding GMO labeling? How should labeling differ between fresh and processed foods? How do food labels affect grocers’ bottom line? Find out all of this and more on this week’s edition of What Doesn’t Kill You! Thanks to our sponsor, Underground Meats. Music provided by Dead Stars. “The FDA has the authority under current law to provide standardization for food labeling if they wanted to.” [8:15] “Food-borne illness is a result of contamination, not its age.” [11:00] — Dana Gunders on What Doesn’t Kill You See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on What Doesn’t Kill You, Katy Keiffer talks with Paul Greenberg about the state of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Paul is the author of the James Beard Award winning New York Times bestseller Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food and a regular contributor to The New York Times. He is currently a fellow with The Blue Ocean Institute and in April became the writer-in-residence at New York’s The South Street Seaport Museum. His next book American Catch — a book about how we lost and how we might regain American local seafood, will be published by The Penguin Press. Katy and Paul discuss his recent article published in American Prospect and FERN entitled “A River Runs Through It” about ‘the dead zone’ in the Gulf of Mexico. How are fertilizers causing algae blooms in the Mississippi that monopolize oxygen? Find out how corn production lends itself to agricultural runoff. Find out if it’s possible to regulate nutrient-runoff along the entire length of the Mississippi. How is nutrient loading affecting the fishing industry in the United States? Find out all of this and more on this week’s episode of What Doesn’t Kill You! Thanks to our sponsor, Heritage Foods USA. Music provided by Dead Stars. “So much agriculture is running on auto-pilot. You don’t need as many people to run a farm anymore. If you were to put switching on your tiling, it would take too much time or money, and it wouldn’t be worth it.” [10:50] “Any time you see a lot of soil without a cover crop, that soil can be carried by rainwater into a watershed.” [11:25] — Paul Greenberg on What Doesn’t Kill You See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.