Food Slain

In this episode, we’re talking about food recalls. This is a listener suggested topic, so I want to just thank Dante for suggesting this topic. It is so timely, because if you are connected to me on the socials, I shared an article this week about a recent, Class II, 525,000 pound canned roast beef recall.

What's worse is, the public tax payers rely on inspectors to catch public health threats when it comes to our meat, poultry and processed egg products, yet there's manipulation, coercion and corruption going on behind the curtain.

So, let's pull that baby back and take a look at what's going on (or not) with our food safety. It ain't pretty but, we should know. Enjoy!

Today, we’re talking to an agricultural economist about the food supply chain, growing challenges with land succession and how to hedge the rise in animal feed prices.

I am really excited to talk to someone who understands economics because it is such a critical lens to look through when talking about food and agriculture.

I am thrilled to welcome Michelle Klieger who is the founder of Stratagerm Consulting, an agricultural and business consulting firm. She also has a podcast and is a professor of economics.

In this episode, we're talking about vegetable oils, which in truth, we're talking about industrialized, mechanized seed oil production and how it has completely infiltrated our food supply chain. It's everywhere and in almost everything.

For decades, these seed oils have been promoted as being a "healthier" option because animal fats (what people have eaten for millennia) got a bad rap!

The research shows that polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils may be lowering our cholesterol, but it's killing us sooner, by way of oxidative stress on our mitochondria which has been linked to diseases like diabetes, Alzheimers, cancer, heart disease and obesity.

So, why aren't we talking more about this? There are 98.5 billion reasons why we are not...so, I figured what better time to start the conversation!

Thanks for listening and remember to share this episode with someone you love.

In this week's episode, we're talking about SPI's...or as you might recognize them, soy protein isolate.

There are many alternatives to animal proteins, but it seems (after diving deep into a rabbit hole of research, videos, studies, science and many other tangents) that these alternatives, including by not limited to soy, have a "dark" side that impacts our health, environment and wallet...yaddah, yaddah...you know how it goes.

This shouldn't be a surprise, but what is eye opening is the way soy protein isolate is made and how we came to use it as food in the first place. We'll get into that as well as some interesting history...and if you're thinking..."well, I use organic protein powder, so no big deal..." let me just say....think again!

Thanks for listening in and sharing this episode with someone you love. See you on the other side of the plate.

Chow.

Today, we're going back to food, farming and history and we're talking about Letitia Carson, America's first black woman to be granted a land claim under the Homestead Act of 1862.

She came to Oregon on the Oregon Trail with her common law husband, David Carson, and they had two children. Martha, the first child, whom you see on the cover art and who was born while on the way to Oregon, and the other, Adam.

She was a one of Oregon's first black pioneers who came out West with her family, cultivated her skills, lost it all and triumphed over her adversaries.

Amazing. I hope you enjoy her story and share this with someone you love and keep her legacy alive! Chow.

In this episode we’re talking about one of the most addictive beverages consumed by billions of people every morning (sometimes twice or three times a day), coffee!

If you’re not a coffee drinker, I get it. This episode may not be for you. But if you do drink coffee, you’ll learn a few things about the history of coffee, how we got here, a few factoids about the economic value of coffee, the exploitation of coffee farmers, and the environmental impact of our coffee addiction. 

It’s a pretty interesting little bean that has a lasting impact on our lives and it isn’t going anywhere. So, if you’re listening to this episode in the morning, grab your cup of Joe and let's get buzzed together!

Thanks for listening and for sharing this episode with someone you love! Chow.

In this episode, we're talking about beef...again. Why? Because there is a lot more to the story.

Like how 86% the beef processing industry is owned and controlled by four major global corporations, one who has been caught bribing government officials, is paying off health inspectors so tainted and contaminated meat makes it to market and is disguising foreign grown beef as US beef - thanks to Congress repealing Country of Origin labeling laws in 2015.

It is a "hot mess" and the blame should fall on the bad actors, not the ones who treat animals humanely, produce healthier beef products, integrate waste back into the system to improve soil and sequester carbon and help keep local communities resilient.

Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love.

Beef. It’s what’s for dinner, they say. But what else is it?

In this episode we’re talking about beef, as an industry, as environmental, health and economic challenges, as well as the industry as a whole and how it contributes to our lives and basic products we use everyday.

No matter what side of the debate you're on, beef pervades our lives in many, many ways, so it’s worth digging into to learn exactly where we need to focus the blame - and it isn’t on ALL beef producers.

It’s a tricky issue, especially when we consider choice….at the end of the day, if the billionaires and global corporations have their way, we won’t have choice...or beef.

We’ll have alternatives, probably more plastic, and forget about lipgloss and ceramic plates.

Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with people you love.

Today, we are swirling around in a plastic eddy trying to find our way out of microplastics.

The reality is, there is no way out. 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but all I can say is...our bodies are full of microplastic bits and fibers, literally. And so is our fruit, beer and salt.

We are dependent on convenience in our food supply chain and plastic is necessary for food safety, so where does that leave us?

It leaves us swirling around in this seemingly never ending eddy of plastic in our everyday lives...and now it's showing up in our stool. Yes, our poop.

This is the Season Six Finale, so thanks for listening in, sticking around and subscribing to this podcast. See you on the other side of the plate! Chow.

In this episode, we're talking about pork, beef and chicken as a national security threat. If you haven't heard the news, the largest pork, beef and chicken meat processor in the world, JBS was attacked a little over a month ago and caused shortages and price increases for you and me.

The problem isn't just the threat of compromised security of sensitive data and operating systems, it's the threat of food insecurity. JBS processes 85% of meat products in the U.S. and has been "playing dirty" for 100 years.

If the ransomeware attacks, coupled with meat shortages and higher prices and dirty business tactics continues, there's a good chance that in the not too distant future, some of you will be fighting at the big box grocery stores for the last package of bacon....just sayin'.

Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love.