by Anna Lappé for Al Jazeera America If you made National Geographic collages of the basic four food groups — meat, dairy, grains and fruits and vegetables — in elementary school as I did, you have the federal government’s dietary guidelines to thank. Every five years, the government reviews these recommendations and releases new advice to […]
When my mom set out to update her seminal book busting the myths about world hunger, she told me the new title would be World Hunger: 10 Myths. “So, you defeated two myths?” I asked. “Uh, no,” she replied. “We consolidated.” Okay, so these myths about world hunger may still be alive and well, but […]
by Anna Lappé for Al Jazeera America American consumers are waking up to the fact that a lot remains hidden about what is in their food and how it is produced. As a result, they are increasingly demanding greater access to information about added sugar, potential allergens, irradiation, use of antibiotics and more. The food […]
by Anna Lappé for Al Jazeera America On a drizzly April day in Washington, D.C., 60 food workers and labor organizers from across the country gathered in an office building downtown. There was an African immigrant street vendor from New York City; a black apple picker from upstate New York; a white, 20-something former bartender […]
by Anna Lappé for Al Jazeera America It’s something of a truism to say that there are two Americas when it comes to food: the ample aisles of posh Whole Foods in wealthy neighborhoods and the corner stores brimming with Doritos and Coke in poorer communities. But there are also two nations of food when […]
by Anna Lappé for Al Jazeera America What is it about corporations trying to sound hip that so often hits the wrong note? It comes off like your mother ending a text with “LOL.” It doesn’t sound cool; it sounds out of touch. That’s just what I thought perusing the website of Mixify, a […]
REAL FOOD READS WITH AUTHOR Natasha Bowens This month’s #realfoodreads selection, The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming, features stories and portraits of farmers and food activists that Natasha Bowens has gathered over five years of conversations. Natasha is an author, beginning farmer and activist who focuses on building empowerment and community with food […]
by Anna Lappé for Al Jazeera America At the turn of the last century, the father of public relations, Edward Bernays, launched the Celiac Project, whose medical professionals recommended bananas to benefit celiac disease sufferers. Those pitched on the sweet fruit’s miraculous properties didn’t know the project was actually created for the United Fruit Co., […]
REAL FOOD READS WITH AUTHOR ALISSA HAMILTON In this month’s #realfoodreads selection, Got Milked? The Great Dairy Deception and Why You’ll Thrive Without Milk, Alissa Hamilton refutes the milk industry’s overwhelmingly popular campaign—Got Milk?—which has convinced us that milk is essential. Her scientifically based expose, in the tradition of Wheat Belly and Grain Brain, proves why we […]
Today, my colleagues Kari Hamerschlag, Stacy Malkan and I are excited to share our new report: Spinning Food. Our findings are stunning (but probably won’t surprise you): The industrial food sector has spent hundreds of millions of dollars over the past few years on stealth PR tactics and deployed over a dozen front groups to push […]