big food

Don't Panic: The Government Shutdown Isn't Making Food Unsafe

8:13am January 12, 2019

by Dan Charles

The Food and Drug Administration is inspecting less food these days, thanks to the shutdown. And while that has raised questions about food safety, the food business is largely carrying on as usual.

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This peat soil in Sumatra, Indonesia, was formerly a forest. Clearing and draining such land releases huge amounts of greenhouse gases.

Deforestation Opponents Enlist Powerful Ally: Big Food. But There's A Catch

6:02pm November 03, 2016

by Dan Charles

Hundreds of food companies have promised to keep their suppliers from cutting down forests. A global coalition of environmental groups is watching to see if the companies are keeping their promises.

Health & Safety

The Year In Food: Artificial Out, Innovation In (And 2 More Trends)

12:39pm December 29, 2015

From big food companies simplifying ingredients, to the U.S. government's new goal to reduce food waste, to a public image crisis for Chipotle, 2015 has been a big year for food.

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The food industry has processed lots of foods to hit that "bliss point" — that perfect amount of sweetness that would send eaters over the moon. In doing so, it's added sweetness in plenty of unexpected places – like bread and pasta sauce, says inves

How The Food Industry Helps Engineer Our Cravings

2:48pm December 16, 2015

by Here & Now Staff

To make foods irresistible, the food industry has added sweetness in unexpected places — like bread and pasta sauce. That's helped shape our cravings but may also be coming back to bite the industry.

Cocoa pods in Ivory Coast, one of the world's top producers of cocoa. Climate models suggest that West Africa, where much of the world's cocoa is grown, will get drier, which could affect supply.

World News

As Big Food Feels Threat Of Climate Change, Companies Speak Up

2:15pm December 01, 2015

by Dan Charles

A warming climate is likely to disrupt global food production, which has Big Food companies worried. Some, like Mars, are becoming increasingly vocal advocates for action on greenhouse gas emissions.

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In this 2011 photo, a banner in an Iowa grocery store advertises

Why Does Government Act As Tax Collector For Agribusiness?

1:35pm September 26, 2015

by Dan Charles

The federal government collects money from farmers to finance ad campaigns for beef, pork and more than a dozen other commodities. Critics say this turns government into a servant of industry.

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Vani Hari, known as the "Food Babe," speaks at the Green Festival in Los Angeles on Sept. 12. Hari has made a name for herself by investigating ingredients in Big Food products that she deems potentially harmful. But critics accuse her of stoking unfounde

Is The Food Babe A Fearmonger? Scientists Are Speaking Out

4:52pm February 10, 2015

by Maria Godoy

The food system is awash in chemicals and additives. One woman has made a career out of investigating them. But a cadre of critics says she's creating more confusion than clarity about food.

How The Food Industry Manipulates Taste Buds With 'Salt Sugar Fat'

12:46pm February 27, 2013

by Nell Boeschenstein

From food scientists who study the human palate to maximize consumer bliss, to marketing campaigns that target teens to hook them for life on a brand, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Moss' new book goes inside the world of processed, packaged goods.

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