From farms and processing plants to restaurants and grocery stores, the pandemic has disrupted the food system and put food policy at the forefront of national discourse. Grassroots organizers, labor strikes, and rallying cries are beginning to influence new regulations surrounding essential businesses, government relief efforts, and creative solutions to save independent restaurants.

This week, we’re diving into the nuts and bolts of various policy initiatives, to understand who has received federal loans, how independent restaurants have coalesced to demand greater support, why the bailout of the United States Postal Service could benefit small food businesses, and how a pilot program allowing SNAP recipients to shop online could negatively impact independent grocers.

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is there a meat shortage looming? Are working conditions on large-scale farms safe? How is there food waste when some grocery stores are rationing inventory? With all of these questions looming, consumers are becoming more aware than ever before about where their food comes from and how it’s grown. We’re seeing the cracks in the consolidated system that dominates our meat and dairy supply. On this episode of Meat and Three, we speak to Marion Nestle about the policies that were designed to give an advantage to “big ag,” and the implications of President Trump invoking the Defense Production Act to keep large-scale meat processing plants open and operating.

On the other hand, small farms are discovering they have some unique advantages amid the pandemic. Will Harris, owner/operator of White Oak Pastures, talks about the philosophy behind his holistically-managed pastures, fully-transparent abattoirs, and efforts to revitalize rural America. Hannah Fordin visits a young farmers in Central New Jersey to learn how the pandemic has resulted in a surprising increase in business, as consumers look to buy directly from local farms. Macgill Webb reports on the unique challenges present in the dairy industry as reports emerge of over 3 million gallons of milk being dumped each day. Farmers are struggling to find new channels to replace their usual restaurant business and shifting their production into hard cheeses or other products with a longer shelf-life.

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mother’s Day will look a little different this year without being able to go out for brunch or gather with relatives. Although celebrations may be limited, this week on Meat and Three we’re exploring the power of family recipes and the ways mothers inspire creativity in the kitchen all year round. 

Kevin Chang Barnum speaks with the founder of Eat, Darling, Eat a website chronicling mother-daughter relationships through the lens of food. Katie Philo interviews cookbook author Andrea Nguyen about the influence of her family history on her culinary career. Kat Johnson shares the secret to her mom’s oatmeal drop cookies. The producers of Modernist Breadcrumbs discuss another kind of mother, the one involved in cultivating yeast.

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Like the rest of the education system in the US, culinary schools and work-study programs have been acutely disrupted. Classes aimed at training chefs, bakers, and bartenders are inherently hands-on. Plus, there are a lot of people who get training through work opportunities like  international study programs or externships in professional kitchens. On this bonus episode, reported by Macgill Webb, we hear personal accounts of how COVID-19 has impeded culinary education.

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ramadan, the holy Islamic month where Muslims around the world abstain from food and drink (among other things) began this week. Just like virtually everything else, it’s being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. In this episode, Danya AbdelHameid talks to Leila, Anum, and Nyuma, three twenty-something Muslims living in Maryland, Florida, and New Jersey, respectively, about their Ramadan traditions and how they're navigating Ramadan in quarantine.

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week we're showing off our brand new show - the very first HRN show for kids! This is episode 2 of Time for Lunch: "Homebound."

Is boredom a superpower? Do you have to be camping to make a campfire? How do you stay connected with friends when you’re away from school? On this episode of Time For Lunch, we’re going to explore all these questions and more as we ask our friends how to make the most of staying home. 

If you’d like to hear your voice on the show, ask a grownup to help you record yourself using the voice memo app on an iphone and email your questions, jokes, and recipes to [email protected]

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today, personal connection is more important than ever, as we’re having to physically distance ourselves from one another. We’re all trying our best to stay connected, and this week we’re exploring how the very fundamentals of personal connection are shifting in our new reality.

Kat Johnson dives into the virtual world of Zoom Happy Hours with help from HRN Hall-of-Famer Lou Bank. Danya AbdelHameid explores how people are turning to gardening in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. We bring you an excerpt from Cutting the Curd where Aaron Foster shares insights on how food retail has been impacted by COVID-19. Finally, we have a special segment on how to manage boredom from Time For Lunch, HRN’s brand new podcast for young eaters.

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Restaurants all over the world have been forced to close their doors or shift to takeout-only service in the wake of COVID-19.  This week we learn how a range of food workers have adapted to the pandemic.  

Jenny Goodman and Alex McCrery from Opening Soon discuss mental health in the food industry with Kat Kinsman, senior editor Food and Wine Magazine. Lisa Held from The Farm Report and chef Spike Gjerde speak about how farmers have responded COVID-19. Snacky Tunes’ Darin Bresnitz interviews Helen Rosner of The New Yorker about her efforts to support restaurants and how listeners can help.  We finish with a segment from a special episode of The Line where host Eli Sussman talks to chefs and restaurant owners from across the country, like Hannah Jacobs of Babydudes, about the difficult decisions that COVID-19 has forced them to make.  

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Whether you’ve been stepping up your home gardening, relying on pantry staples, or ordering in during your quarantine - it’s a good time to consider the amount of food going in and out of our homes. For that reason, this week’s show is all about waste. From “quarantine cuisine,” to a Michelin-starred restaurant that’s doing more with less, to a Bushwick City Council campaign tightly linked to a local compost center – our stories this week focus on learning and seeking creative solutions to food waste pain points.

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, we explore happy accidents: the unexpected, serendipitous moments that we don’t plan for and don’t often see coming. These happenstance occurrences shaped the food world by leading the way for new foods, new ways of cooking, and new careers. 

We have stories about the spontaneous fermentation of lambic beers, the microwave’s origin story, the career trajectory of bartender Sother Teague, and the mistake that led to the creation of America’s favorite breakfast cereal.

Meat and Three is powered by Simplecast.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.