Food Sleuth Radio

Did you know that people who are incarcerated typically receive poor quality food that contributes to poor mental and physical health? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Jessi Silverman, MPH, RD, Deputy Director in the Programs Department at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. CSPI and the Carceral Nutrition Project produced a report and webinar which explore the consequences of private food service companies taking over food services at prisons and jails. This report specifically focuses on Aramark, which has the largest share (35 percent) of the US correctional food services market. Aramark has also been a party to litigation regarding carceral food conditions in more than 500 cases since 2000. These cases reveal widespread allegations of nutritionally inadequate, unsafe, and contaminated food.  Most legal claims have been brought under the Eighth Amendment, arguing that inadequate or unsafe food constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
 
 Related Websites:  https://www.cspi.org/PrivateFoodPublicHarm-fullreport

Did you know that there is no standard legal definition of “regenerative” food and agriculture? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Kendra Klein, PhD, Deputy Director of Science at Friends of the Earth, and co-author of “Regenerative Food Labels: What’s Behind the Claim?” Klein helps us navigate organic and regenerative food labels in the marketplace, the many benefits of organic food and farming, and communication and policy challenges. Klein references the report: “Merchants of Poison:” https://foe.org/resources/merchants-of-poison/

 Related Websites:  https://foe.org/resources/label-guide/

Did you know that agribusiness logic places emphasis on big yields while neglecting the value of small farms and gardens? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Andrew Flachs, PhD., Associate Professor of Anthropology at Purdue University, food and farming systems researcher, and author of Feeding the World as If People Mattered: How Small Farms Produce Value Beyond Yields. Flachs continues his conversation in the second of a two-part interview on the benefits of smaller scale farming and home and community gardens, especially in times of crisis. He discusses his research into Cleveland Ohio’s urban gardens, GMO vs. organic cotton in India, and home gardens in Bosnia. He is also the author of an Op-Ed in Civil Eats: “Facing Global Disruptions, Congress Should Invest in Local Food” https://civileats.com/2026/04/23/op-ed-facing-global-disruptions-congress-should-invest-in-local-food/

Related Websites:   https://www.cla.purdue.edu/directory/profiles/andrew-flachs.html

Did you know that the push towards efficiency is often a trap? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Andrew Flachs, PhD., Associate Professor of anthropology at Purdue University, and food and farming systems researcher. He discusses highlights from his new book, Feeding the World as If People Mattered: How Small Farms Produce Value Beyond Yields. To receive a discount, use the code AZFLR which gives 30% off from the press website (https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/feeding-the-world-as-if-people-mattered

Related Websites:   https://www.cla.purdue.edu/directory/profiles/andrew-flachs.html

Did you know that glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide in the world, and because of its ubiquitous use, glyphosate can be found in most of our bodies? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Lianne Sheppard, PhD, Professor in the Departments of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and Biostatistics at the University of WA-Seattle. Sheppard discusses highlights and conclusions from the Seattle Glyphosate Symposium, and the risks from long term, low-level exposure. She also discusses why EPA registration of a pesticide does not mean that the pesticide is safe. To see the pesticides (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and rodenticides) used in your part of the country, see the USGS maps of pesticide use: https://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/pnsp/usage/maps/compound_listing.php

Related Websites:   Glyphosate symposium: https://deohs.washington.edu/sgs/statement