Environment
What does it take to farm organically? Episode 49
USDA Certified Organic is more than a label. Our guest, Carolyn Olson, shares the attention to detail and expense necessary to produce an organic crop. She farms with her husband, Jonathan, in southwest Minnesota, and shared her farm story in Food Truths from Farm to Table about how conventional and organic agriculture can work together.
Read MoreDoes an expensive steak taste better? Episode 47
How does price impact how we feel about the value of a product? Does how you feel about a cut of steak or whether it is labelled “natural” impact how much you enjoy it? Our guest, Dr. Mark Miller shares his research on consumer beef preferences and how labels influence what we choose to eat.
Read MoreWhy is technology in food so scary? Episode 43
We are likely to stand in line to get the latest smart phone technology — so why do we fear technology in food? Dr. Kevin Folta makes Eliz and Michele roar with laughter and sheds light on genetics, technology, and how to he’s working to make strawberries taste better. We discuss how science is working to solve important problems for people and the environment.
Read MoreSustainability trade-offs on Earth Day: Episode 38
Did you know the term “sustainable” is used in food marketing to achieve price advantage, without any science backing the claim? In this Earth Day episode, Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, a livestock geneticist at University of California, Davis, sheds light on why genetics is an important component of sustainability. She also warns that anytime breeding innovations are taken off the shelf (e.g., GMOs), the tradeoff a less sustainable food production system.
Read MoreThe unintended consequence of food elitism: Episode 35
Fancy shoes and cheap prices. Chicken breasts and hormone myths. Food snobbery and the hungry. Healthy food and fat. Cheap food and sustainability. “It’s really easy for us to look at a product that has a fancy name or claim and assign higher perceived value to it.”
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