Food Politics by Marion Nestle

Chin Jou.  Captive Consumers: Hunger, Violence, and Inequality in American Prison Food.  University of North Carolina Press, 2026.  344 pages. I have been a fan of Chin Jou’s work for a long time and did a blurb for her latest book: Captive Consumers is a tough, uncompromising, and utterly compelling analysis of the ways America’s […] The post Weekend reading: a deep dive into prison food appeare…

I. DOJ, FDA take raw pet food company to court.  This one comes from Phyllis Entis of eFoodAlert.  She writes: “I thought this might interest you. Last Friday, the DOJ filed a Complaint against Arrow Reliance Inc. (Darwin’s Natural Pet Products) and its owner, Gary Tashjian.” The Complaint seeks to block Darwin’s from selling adulterated drugs; it […] The post Four items about pet food politics a…

The Government Accountability Office reports: Federal Social Safety Net Programs: Millions of Workers, Including Many Employed by Large Employers, Continue to Rely on Medicaid and SNAP. To learn more about the working adults who used these programs in 2024, we analyzed employment data from 11 states and Census data. We found: About two-thirds worked full time […] The post A national scandal: mill…

Thanks to Phyllis Entis of eFoodAlert.com for this one. The Study: Minimally processed, human-grade diet alters canine epigenetic ageing: Results from a pilot study. Aimee Chen, Wei Guo, Janina A. Krumbeck, Dan Su, Vincent Michels, Xiaojing Yang.  First published: 05 August 2026.  https://doi.org/10.1002/vro2.70047 Results: Dogs fed with MPHGF diet [minimally processed, human-grade food] exhibite…

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has released its annual report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI). From the press release The good news Global hunger declined for a third consecutive year in 2025, demonstrating that progress is possible. The not-so-good news However, the improvements […] The post Weekend good news (at least in part): …

As is my wont, I collect items about pet food. Safety The CDC’s web page on pet food safety makes three main points: Pet food and treats can sometimes be contaminated with germs that make people and pets sick. CDC does not recommend feeding raw pet food or treats to dogs and cats. Talk to […] The post Pet food safety and other issues: a short roundup appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nest…

I’ll say this again.  No, Cyclospora is not a food industry conspiracy to keep people from eating real foods.  It is a serious illness that has put plenty of people in hospitals and killed at least two. At Monday’s MAHA press conference (see yesterday’s post), the FDA announced: Finally, though not part of today’s announcement, […] The post FDA’s new rules on produce safety appeared first on Food…

RFK Jr held a press conference yesterday to celebrate “the biggest news in food reform in modern history”—requiring food manufacturers to notify the FDA when they are introducing a new food additive they want considered Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). This wasn’t already required?  No, it was not.  This gap is the long-troubling “GRAS loophole.” […] The post Closing the GRAS loophole? It’s …

I keep saying that I can often tell who funded a study from its title, and if I know the funder I can often predict the result.  But sometimes I’m wrong.  This is one of those times. The study:  Effects of Short-Term Broccoli Powder Supplementation on Acute Oxidative Stress and Recovery Following a Metabolically Demanding […] The post An industry-funded study with a rare negative result! appeared…

I am totally for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2015, they set targets for the betterment of global populations, to be achieved by 2030. The targets were ambitious from the get go, but it’s a global tragedy that so little has been achieved.  Here’s the summary. This report is especially thoughtful, not surprising […] The post Weekend reading: Sustainable Development Goals progr…

Most people who eat enough calories get more than enough of the protein they need, so the current protein craze—putting pea, whey, and tofu into everything—doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. It does sell products though. It’s hard to choose from among the most entertaining protein-supplemented products. Coffee? Protein water? Pop-Tarts? But this remains […] The post The hyper-marketing of protein…

RFK Jr’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) made many promises, most of them still in the works.  But one seems to be well on the way to being achieved.  Under MAHA pressure, some companies agreed to voluntarily remove petroleum-based food colors by the end of 2027. I went to the Target in Ithaca, NY last […] The post MAHA’s one achievement so far: voluntary elimination of artificial food colors a…

States have reported upwards of 20,000 cases of Cyclospora-caused explosive diarrhea, some of them–but by no means all—traced to lettuce grown by Taylor Farms in Mexico and shipped to Taco Bell and, apparently, lots of other places. The best way to keep track of all this—and it is a lot to keep track of—is to […] The post Update on the Cyclospora outbreak: What to do? appeared first on Food Polit…

The Examination has released an investigative report in its new “Behind the Buzz” series: “Is it safe to drink Red Bull and vodka? Dubious research tied to the company has shaped energy drink policy. The company paid scientists whose studies largely found that mixing energy drinks and alcohol isn’t harmful, contrary to most research.” The studies […] The post Funding effect study of the week: Red…

One Year Later: How H.R. 1’s SNAP Policy Changes Are Reverberating Across the Food System CSPI ad GFI frame this report in an interesting way, as a tale of two distinct, and sometimes at cross-purposes, Trump administration food agendas. The first, reflected in Project 2025 and H.R. 1, represents an economic agenda focused on reducing […] The post Weekend reading: What the Trump administration ha…

[First, a correction to yesterday’s post about peptides.  Peptides are injected, not consumed orally.  Therefore, they are not regulated as supplements.  I should have made this clear.  Sorry.] I’ve been collecting examples of new foods coming on the market or already here, all of which raise the question: Do we need this? Salmon from spirulina? […] The post Annals of food marketing: weird, wonde…

Last week, MAHA proudly announced that the FDA Panel appointed by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr had approved 6 of 7 Peptides over the objections of FDA scientists. The vote is a win for HHS Secretary Kennedy and MAHA, opening a path for compounding pharmacies to prepare BPC-157, TB-500 and four other popular peptides […] The post What will the FDA do about peptides? appeared first on Food Po…

Here’s how I learned about this one: KSM-66 ashwagandha may support cognition and sleep in children: Supplementation with KSM-66 ashwagandha root extract in gummy form for eight weeks is well tolerated and may enhance cognitive performance and sleep quality in children between the ages of 6 and 12, according to new research…. Read more One […] The post Industry-funded study of the week: Ashwagand…

I walked into Autumn Leaves Books in Ithaca last week to talk to them about my event there on September 12, and was surprised and delighted to see my forthcoming book with Lisa Sutherland—for the first time! Its official publication date is September 8. If you pre-order it through UC Press, you get a 30% […] The post Sugar Coated: Now Available for Pre-Order (at a discount!) appeared first on Foo…

A Lighthouse-led international cooperative investigation has produced Big Food vs. The People, a detailed account of how food and beverage companies are filing lawsuits to block public health measures that might induce people to stop buying their products. In public, the world’s biggest and richest food companies such as Coca Cola, PepsiCola, and Mondelez say they […] The post Big Food vs. The Pe…