The Business of Food with Steve Alexander

Sunday, October 12, was National Farmer’s Day in the United States. Traditionally, when people think “farmer,” they don’t think of a woman. “It’s usually expected that it’s her husband, or her father, or her brother,” says Kate Huffman. Not in her case. She owns two farms, and was recently honored by the Illinois Farm Bureau as the 2025 Young Leader Excellence In Agriculture Award winner. She’s better known as the Pink Hat Farmer. More about that in a moment.

In the audio clip above, Huffman tells WGN’s Steve Alexander about her journey from growing up on a hog and row-crop farm in Henry County, Illinois, to owning two farms in that county, including her family’s six-generation farm. It wasn’t a direct route. In fact, she snubbed agriculture, not joining 4-H or FFA, and wanted nothing more than to get away from the farm. After getting a finance degree at the University of Illinois, she got a job in the Chicago area. “I lasted nine months up there before I realized that everything I had been chasing had been the farm all along.”

Back in the fold, she bought a small farm near Galva, Illinois, in 2018 at the age of 27, and last year, was able to buy her family’s sesquicentennial farm, a true family farm where her father helps with the farming, her mother does the books, and her brother comes home to help during planting and harvest.

But farming can be hard, and like many farmers, men and women, Huffman also has an off-farm job as an ag loan officer. She also generates income from Harvest Hosts, where RVers are provided water and electrical hookups.

And, she generates income from the sale of Pink Hat merchandise, and visibility for other women in agriculture via her Pink Hat Farmer identity. Her mission is “to promote the life of a female farmer, encourage other female farmers to DREAM BIG and share my passion of agriculture.”

“I love Choco Chimps,” Jane Goodall told Nature’s Path Organic CEO Arjan Stephens. “I’m really proud to partner with you guys,” she told him in 2014 when the company teamed up with her to protect chimpanzees and raise money for the Institute. “She loved that Choco Chimps were vegan,” as she had been since 2015, Stephens says, “and had a picture of a real chimpanzee on the box, not a cartoonish image.” Plus, because a portion of each sale of Choco Chimps is donated to the Jane Goodall Institute, more than $300,000 has been generated for the Institute.

Choco Chimps is part of the EnviroKidz line of organic cereals (Gorilla Munch, Panda Puffs, Koala Crisps, Leapin’ Lemurs and others) with donations from sales going toward protecting vulnerable and endangered animals. In the audio clip above, Arjan Stephens tells WGN’s Steve Alexander that the cereals are big fundraising tools for all of the environmental non-profits we work with, also including Dian Fossey’s Gorilla Fund. “We have an area (on the boxes) where kids can adopt a gorilla, or adopt a chimpanzee, or adopt a koala, with these kids getting involved, maybe doing a lemonade stand outside their house and they’re raising money to adopt an animal.”

Founded and based in Vancouver, B.C., Nature’s Path is North America’s largest certified organic breakfast and snack food company and a pioneer in certified organic cereals, waffles and other foods. Its products are sold in 52 countries and for its largest-ever U.S. sales and marketing expansion, it has opened a corporate office in the Chicago area, joining the largest food companies in the world that have made Chicago the center of the food world. Stephens tells Alexander the origins of the company his dad and mom started go back to his grandfather Rupert, an organic farmer on Vancouver Island, Canada, who established a baseline for his son Arran and grandson Arjan: “Always leave the earth better than you found it.”

For now, the Oak Brook office of Nature’s Path Organic consists of 18 food scientists and some marketing folks, all sharing what Stephens calls his “big, hairy, audacious goal: to become a household brand in all homes across North America.”

In the film The Irishman, Teamsters Union boss Jimmy Hoffa, played by Al Pacino, rallies an audience by pointing out how vital trucks, and the men and women who drive them, are to our way of living. “If you got it, a truck brought it. If you got your food, your clothing, your medicine, if you got fuel for your homes, fuel for your industries, a truck brought it. The day our trucks stop, America stops!”

In the audio clip above, Cheryl Freeman, the College to Careers dean overseeing the continuing education classes for transportation, distribution, and logistics at Olive-Harvey College, tells WGN’s Steve Alexander about a donation of two shiny diesel trucks to the college’s Diesel Technology program. Freeman says the donation by PepsiCo not only saves the college more than $50,000 per truck, it gives students experience working on the same type of equipment they could encounter in their careers. And many of those students could end up working for PepsiCo.

To that end, the PepsiCo Foundation has donated more than $600,000 in scholarships to City College students in areas that are important to the company: not only the Diesel Tech program at Olive-Harvey, but the Maintenance Mechanic program at Daley College, the Fork Lift program, and the Supply Chain Management program at other City Colleges.

About 60 students are currently in the Diesel Tech program at Olive-Harvey, with the next semester beginning in January. And you don’t have to give up your day job to attend. Most classes are in the evening. More information, including how to apply can be found HERE.

So there you are, minding your own business as you inspect and squeeze the fresh produce in the supermarket when a robot named Servi, loaded with shelves of bananas and/or pineapples, glides up to you and says, “Hey you. Yes, you.”

It’s happening daily at Jewel stores in Fox Lake, Huntley, and Westmont, Illinois. It’s part of a two-month trial by the stores and Fresh Del Monte. In the audio clip above, Danny Dumas, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Product Management at Fresh Del Monte, tells GN’s Steve Alexander this is the first time the autonomous robot is being used in a grocery retail environment. 

Dumas says customers can grab the bananas and pineapples from Servi’s shelves and engage with the robot as they decide what items to include (or not) in their cart. It’s part of the company’s investment in technology that enhances the in-store experience and encourages healthier eating habits. And, of course, it’s about selling more products. Dumas points out that research shows a 10-20% increase in sales for items that are positioned at checkout. They’re hoping that Servi will similarly prompt higher sales of bananas. You can see and interact with Servi through October at the following Jewel-Osco locations, 6 a.m.- midnight:

It was just another busy day in the Loyola Medical Center cafeteria in Maywood, Illinois. Cashier Ketzly Angel was helping a line of hungry customers. ER physician Dr. Joan Dimopoulos rushed in to grab a quick bite during a busy shift. While she was eating a chicken sandwich, things got scary: A piece of the sandwich got stuck. In the audio clip above, Dr. Dimopoulos and Ms. Angel each tell WGN’s Steve Alexander what happened then.

Dimopoulos: “I walked over to get a bottle of water and I was in line to pay, and all of a sudden I was actually choking and I couldn’t breathe.”

Angel: “She has holding on to her chest.”

Dimopoulos: “I placed my hand over my throat and the cashier saw me.”

Angel: “She was looking at me, she made eye contact.”

Dimopoulos: “And she asked me if I was choking, and I nodded yes.”

Angel: “And I just knew right then and there.”

Dimopoulos: “And she just came up behind me and performed the Heimlich maneuver twice.”

Angel: “And luckily, I was able to help her get out the piece of food that was stuck.”

Dimopoulos: “And I could finally breathe.”

And that was it. Each went back to their busy days.

Some days later, Dr. Dimopoulos was back in the cafeteria and saw Ketzly, thanked her again, and left with the feeling she needed to do more than just say thanks. She contacted hospital officials who arranged for a hospital-wide event where she publicly thanked Ketzly and gave her a bouquet of flowers. She added, “I’m just so grateful that you were there, and that you had the awareness and the knowledge and the courage to act,” before embracing her. 

Angel, 22, learned the Heimlich maneuver in a health class at Proviso East High School, but had never used it. “I always kept it in mind for any situation that could happen. I’m glad I was able to react quickly and be able to help her,” she said.

Dr. Dimopoulos added, “I think she saved my life.”

An Angel who is a hero.

When Holly Simon gave birth, “The doctors and the nurses all said that they were sorry,” she recalls. Baby Nate had Down syndrome. Right away she knew she had her work cut out for her, not only raising her child but making sure no other new mom has to hear those words.

You may be wondering what this topic has to do with the Business of Food. Fair enough. The answer is pineapple.

As Nate Simon grew up in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood, he developed a flair for fashion, especially brightly colored Hawaiian shirts with pineapples. With mom Holly’s help, he started his own clothing line under the 21 Pineapples brand. She says it isn’t just something to keep him busy, it’s his future.

Why 21 Pineapples? Because, as you’ll hear Holly and Nate explain in the audio clip above, Nate loves pineapples and Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that occurs when a person has an extra copy of chromosome 21. Click here for more information about Nate, Holly, and 21 Pineapples shirts — of which Tom Skilling is a fan (see photo below from Tom) — and for more information about October’s National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, click here.

Gardening guru Jim Fizzell talks zucchini, seed harvesting, perennial dividing and more things that need to be done right now.

“We’re halfway through… Spring of ’26,” is how Nilda Esparza describes the reconstruction of Milwaukee Avenue from Belmont Avenue to Logan Square. Esparza is the Executive Producer for the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce. She tells WGN’s Steve Alexander in the audio clip above that the end result will be beautiful. In the interim, though, many of the local businesses that rely on foot traffic are suffering because of the construction and street closures. So, the Chamber is hosting a restaurant and bar crawl on Sunday, August 10, from 1 to 5 pm. Esparza says 21 restaurants are taking part: Andros Taverna, Blazed Bakery, Cafe con Leche, Central Park Bar, Deep Red Wine Merchant, El Cid, Federales Logan Square (which is donating the trolley that will move people around, including to and from the nearby Logan Square Farmers Market), Friendship Chinese Restaurant, Hopewell Brewery, K-Fire Korean BBQ, Kie-Gol-Lanee, La Lunita, Mother’s Ruin, Pure Green, South Loop Market, Spicy Taco, Taco Maya, The Crab Pad, The Harding Tavern, The Whale, and Uprising Theater and Cafe. More information about tickets HERE.

ILLINOIS STATE FAIR RUNS AUGUST 7-17th

Meanwhile, “Adventure Awaits” in Springfield at the Illinois State Fair. In the audio clip above, State Fair Manager Rebecca Clark tells Alexander there are more than 165 hours of free entertainment, plus several hours of grandstand shows featuring some of the biggest names in music. But “at the heart of everything we do is agriculture.” And fair officials have stretched that a little, maybe a lot, with the introduction of the first Illinois State Fair Pickle Ball Tournament. “This is a really big dill, at the Dillinois State Fair.” She says there’s a round-robin doubles tournament with adults and juniors divisions. And for people who don’t play, but are curious, she says there will be demonstration court. No equipment necessary, just maybe some comfortable shoes. More information HERE. And CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE 2025 ILLINOIS STATE FAIR BUTTER COW WEB CAM

When Idina Menzel sang “Let it Go,” she probably didn’t have Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in mind, but those lyrics are the essence of the Health and Human Services Secretary’s suggestion for dealing with the bird flu.

In the audio clip above, Johns Hopkins University researcher Erin Sorrell tells WGN’s Steve Alexander that after hearing of the Secretary’s suggestion, she and four other scientists composed a response, which was published in the July issue of the journal Science. Sorrell says the suggestion of letting the virus spread has no merit, and would be dangerous and unethical, potentially leading to transmission to other species, including humans, and threatening a pandemic. Instead, she says, “We really need to consider how we come together from a one-health perspective, that we incorporate human health, animal health, and environmental health to increase active surveillance, active detection. While cases have been decreasing as migratory birds are essentially out of North America right now, we have the time to regroup, restructure, and be ready for the fall migration.”

Yes, it’s possible we could have a fourth consecutive year of bird flu as the migratory birds–chief spreaders of the virus–return.

Below is the abstract of the article published in the July edition of the journal Science:

As of 20 May, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in more than 173.1 million birds since the outbreak began in January 2022. The secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, Robert Kennedy Jr., has suggested allowing the unmitigated spread of HPAI in turkeys and chickens to identify surviving birds—a sentiment supported by Brooke Rollins, secretary of the USDA, which, along with state-level departments of agriculture, has jurisdiction over animal disease outbreaks (1). This approach would be dangerous and unethical. Allowing a highly lethal, rapidly evolving, and contagious virus to run a natural course of infection in poultry would lead to unnecessary suffering of poultry and put other susceptible animals on and near affected farms at risk. It would prolong exposure for farmworkers, which could increase viral adaptation and transmission risks for poultry, other peridomestic animals, and humans.

The Business of Food with Steve Alexander is heard Mondays and Fridays at 7:38 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., and Tuesdays-Thursdays at 6:38 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.

Click above to hear the radio edit. Click below to hear the longer version.

Is bacon an ultra-processed food? Some people would say yes, but Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has stated that when he does eat breakfast–he typically skips breakfast as part of intermittent fasting–but when he does, he likes bacon with his eggs. But chips, sodas, packaged breads, chicken nuggets (which Kennedy has called ‘poison’) and a wide variety of other foods Americans eat daily may make the government’s list of ultra-processed foods that Kennedy would like to see limited or eliminated.

In the audio clips above, Helena Bottemiller Evich, founder and editor-in-chief of FoodFix and who previously led food coverage at Politico, tells WGN’s Steve Alexander about the government’s efforts to define UPFs. “There’s a big debate about how to define these. Maybe some ultra-processed foods are good for us but there’s a lot of research that shows the higher consumption of ultra-processed foods associates with poor health outcomes like diabetes and heart disease.” She adds that the government’s updated dietary guidelines coming out this fall will likely tell Americans to consume less UPFs.

The food industry is paying close attention and its D.C. lobbyists are no doubt busy trying to get their opinions heard by the decision makers because, in Illinois alone, where many of the biggest food processors are located, thousands of jobs and billions of dollars may be at stake.

“That’s why everyone is watching this so closely. They’re trying to figure out what the government is going to do and how to prepare for it. We are in a Republican administration. Usually, Republican administrations don’t like to regulate, they try to be more deregulatory, and so we’re waiting to see what Make Ameriica Healthy Again, what this movement looks like in a Republican administration. What we are seeing is the states [being] pretty aggressive [against UPFs]. Texas has a warning label law that would actually require certain foods that contain additives to have a front-of-pack warning on them. We’re seeing West Virginia ban all synthetic food dyes as of 2028. The food companies are, in particular, watching what the states are doing because it’s a lot harder to control what happens and now we’re seeing this patchwork [of standards] get created, and there are economic impacts to that, no question.”

You can read more about Helena Bottemiller Evich’s reporting on food and the food industry at FoodFix.co. “You can get on my email list, I have a weekly newsletter. I have a lot of food policy insiders and industry people and, also, a lot of consumers.”

Meanwhile, MAHA is making life uncertain for American corn growers

Nearly every segment of our food industry is watching to see whether their interests are going to be compromised by MAHA. Even Midwest corn growers feel they may be in the crosshairs of the Make America Healthy Again initiative. The following is a release from the Illinois Corn Growers Association and the National Corn Growers Association:

In a new survey, American corn growers say they would face higher costs and reductions in crop yields if they were to lose access to key herbicides like atrazine and glyphosate. The survey comes after the Make America Healthy Again Commission released its preliminary report questioning the safety of the two herbicides.

The survey findings reveal high stakes for the MAHA Commission’s next report, a set of policy recommendations expected to be released in August, which could impact a key constituency in President Trump’s base. The crop protection tools in question have been thoroughly tested by the Environmental Protection Agency and other regulatory bodies and shown to be safe for their intended uses.

“These results are in line with what I am hearing in conversations among farmers,” said Illinois farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Kenneth Hartman Jr. “We are concerned that claims about herbicides in the pending MAHA recommendations could remove access to the tools we need to safely and sustainably produce a crop.”

Hartman added that growers hope the president will intervene and ensure that the MAHA Commission follows the science and defers to the EPA on matters related to pesticide policy and regulation.

The survey, which was sponsored by NCGA, included responses from more than 1,000 farmers and was conducted between June 17 and July 2, following the release of MAHA’s initial assessment, which mentioned glyphosate and atrazine.

Respondents indicated overwhelmingly – 85% – that weeds are the top pest plaguing their crops and that atrazine and glyphosate were their top two herbicides of choice.

The MAHA Commission, a priority of Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was formed in February through a presidential executive order. The commission released its initial assessment in May. That assessment was challenged by corn grower leaders for questioning decades of science proving glyphosate and atrazine to be safe and effective.

NCGA has spent months sounding the alarms about the MAHA Commission’s focus on herbicides. The group has said that if the pesticides in the initial assessment were to disappear completely, crop yields could decrease by more than 70% due to pests, weeds and disease.

Herbicides and pesticides, including glyphosate and atrazine have been tested extensively. Before these products are approved for use, companies must submit dozens, if not hundreds, of test results for EPA review and consideration, including tests examining potential effects on child development, dietary exposure, and long-term toxicity. The EPA’s reviews, required by law, are repeated at least every 15 years, or sooner if new data becomes available.

“Given that the EPA’s robust regulatory process has found these products to be safe when used according to label directions, there is no reason to suggest that they are harmful,” Hartman noted. “Doing so will come at a great cost to farmers and rural America.”

The Business of Food can be heard on Mondays and Fridays at 7:38 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., and at 6:38 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. on WGN Radio.