Food Tank

Federal agencies are investigating four ongoing cyclospora outbreaks in the United States. This year has seen a record number of cases, prompting concern among consumers and experts.

In its latest update, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 13,895 laboratory-confirmed domestic cases of the parasitic infection across 45 states since May. They are also tracking an additional 10,455 cases that have yet to be confirmed. There have been two deaths in individuals with underlying health issues.

The biggest outbreak now spans 15 states and has a confirmed case count of over 6,000 people, according to CDC. The agency is still investigating Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce as the likely source after previously declaring their testing a false positive. Taylor Farms has voluntarily recalled their products in 27 states across the U.S.

Agencies are also investigating three additional outbreaks that have already ended.

Cyclospora is a parasite that often contaminates fresh produce, infecting those who eat it. May through August is considered cyclosporiasis season in the U.S. Symptoms usually appear one week after exposure, and most commonly include watery diarrhea, nausea, and fatigue. While treatable, many cases clear up on their own, and aren’t diagnosed, says Glenn Morris, Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Florida College of Medicine and Founding Director of the Emerging Pathogen Institute.

“Because fresh produce items typically have short shelf lives, outbreaks of Cyclospora tend to appear suddenly, and gradually fade as the product is consumed out of the marketplace,” Craig Hedberg, a Professor at the University of Minnesota who focuses on foodborne illness and infectious disease outbreaks, tells Food Tank.

Better and more widely available diagnostic testing methods in clinical laboratories may lead to higher case counts, according to Hedberg. And when awareness of an outbreak grows, more people are likely to seek medical care.

Morris points to an additional explanation: a breakdown in the country’s food safety programs.

Last July, CDC made it optional for The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) to track most pathogens, including Cyclospora. Salmonella and STEC (E. coli) are still mandatory. Although FoodNet is not intended to detect outbreaks of foodborne illness, it better prepares federal agencies to deal with them. Morris thinks that while the outbreak would likely still have occurred, funding cuts, loss of experienced staff, and reduced laboratory capacity within FoodNet, CDC, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have hampered the investigative process.

“All of the tools that would normally be applied, both in terms of preventing the outbreak… [and] investigating the outbreak, have seen major cuts from the current administration,” Morris tells Food Tank.

FoodNet is a CDC program that tracks common foodborne infections to collect baseline data. It uses active surveillance, meaning it contacts clinical laboratories in ten states to identify cases and provide a basis for prevention efforts. “Public health surveillance for foodborne illnesses is a foundation for effective food control,” says Hedberg. But because cyclosporiasis is difficult to diagnose, it can take longer to trace to a source.

Morris notes that oversight of food safety is further complicated by the involvement of multiple federal departments. “We’re the only major Western country that does not have a [single] food safety agency,” he says.

The CDC handles cases of foodborne illness within people but lacks regulatory authority at the state level. Regulation of food is controlled by FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), depending on the product. While these agencies communicate with each other, the U.S. does not have a single federal food safety agency. Morris believes that the country should create one and conduct strong active surveillance on a federal scale.

“We need to invest in public health agencies to better prepare them to respond to outbreaks when they are small, to help prevent them from growing large,” Hedberg tells Food Tank—a point Morris echoes.

Morris advises that consumers can protect themselves from cyclospora by avoiding foods identified as likely to be contaminated, shopping local, and following the latest CDC updates.

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The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is considering regulations for dairy and livestock operations to reduce the impact of animal agriculture on the environment.

The Board is weighing emissions data, mitigation strategies, and regulations as they consider a variety of regulatory approaches to reduce emissions of the potent greenhouse gas.

Under a 2024 resolution, CARB’s Executive Officer was asked to develop a plan for livestock methane regulations, Joe DeAnda, Director of Communications at CARB, tells Food Tank. Following rule development in 2025, the resolution outlines potential regulation consideration by the CARB Board by 2028, and, if adopted, implementation in 2030.

In 2016, SB 1383 set statewide targets in California to reduce short-lived climate pollutants. For dairy and livestock sectors, legislation set a goal of reducing methane emissions 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030.

The law directed CARB to approve and implement a strategy to meet targets and work with stakeholders to identify and address barriers to emissions reduction goals. During a recent public comment period, CARB sought feedback on the technological and economic feasibility of the dairy and livestock sector, says DeAnda.

Dairy and livestock operations are California’s largest source of methane emissions, originating from manure and enteric fermentation, CARB reports.

Since SB 1383 was enacted, the state has targeted manure-related emissions through incentive-based programs. These initiatives include grants for anaerobic digesters and alternative manure management practices, which reduce methane by changing how manure is stored, handled, or treated.

Voluntary incentive programs allow farmers to reduce emissions without taking on the full cost of new infrastructure, says Michael Boccadoro, Executive Director of Dairy Cares. “We’re more than two-thirds of the way to achieving the dairy share of livestock methane emission reductions,” he tells Food Tank.

Boccadoro believes state and federal funding are central to that progress. He says some alternative manure management projects can be fully covered by grants, while many digesters are financed, owned, or operated by outside developers. In those cases, farmers may provide manure as feedstock without paying to build the project themselves and can receive a small revenue stream.

“The beauty of the incentive program is it hasn’t impacted farmers financially, except in some cases in a positive way,” Boccadoro tells Food Tank. He says the projects can also offer additional benefits, including improved manure handling and water quality.

While mandatory reporting is important to Boccadoro, he believes the requirements should stop short of direct emissions mandates. He argues that demanding every dairy farm to achieve a specific reduction target is “catastrophically unhelpful” because it can undermine the credit and financing systems that have supported methane reduction. “If you lose the incentives, these projects don’t go forward because there’s nobody to pay for them,” he says.

Frank Mitloehner, Air Quality Specialist at UC Davis, also supports California’s incentive-based approach. “When the law was passed there weren’t many options to reduce methane emissions. It was ahead of the technology, but by pushing incentives it allowed for solutions to blossom and result in real methane reductions,” he tells Food Tank.

Mitloehner has been impressed by the speed of transition in the dairy industry. “It’s astonishing how quickly an entire industry sprung up and the sector moved to be in line with state laws,” he says. But now “we’ve tackled the low-hanging fruit and need further technologies to find solutions in other sectors.”

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Each week, Food Tank is rounding up a few news stories that inspire excitement, infuriation, or curiosity.

United States Restores Some Health Aid

After the sudden elimination of humanitarian assistance last year, the United States is taking steps to restore some global health aid, the New York Times reports.

The latest funds—US$600 million—will go to Gavi an organization helping low-income countries secure essential childhood immunizations. In total, the U.S. government has made nearly US$2 billion in recent pledges to support international organizations tackling hunger and malnutrition, epidemic preparedness, disaster response, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria.  But the amount is still far below what the U.S. spent on foreign assistance in the past.

According to officials who have been a part of State Department conversations, public health threats including the recent Ebola outbreak, are one of the main drivers of this shift. And with the U.S. Agency for International Development gone, the infrastructure no longer exists for the U.S. to handle the humanitarian assistance itself. They must now partner with large international agencies to work at the scale needed. 

The reality of past decisions may be “sinking in,” says Mark A. Green, President of the ONE Campaign. He adds, “The good news is that Secretary Rubio clearly realizes that global health is what we do, and we’re really good at it. That’s why you’re starting to see more money moving.”

Countries Adopt First Global Framework on Sustainable Livestock Management

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Members have approved the first globally negotiated framework to sustainably transform the livestock sector. It marks a “a major achievement for FAO and all livestock stakeholders,” says Thanawat Tiensin, FAO Assistant Director-General, Chief Veterinarian and Director of the Animal Production and Health Division.

The Global Plan of Action for Sustainable Livestock Transformation (GPA) recognizes livestock as a key source of protein and other nutrients as well as the sector’s ties to zoonotic diseases, biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas emissions. Its 85 recommended actions are designed to help countries promote healthy diets, control animal diseases, encourage climate mitigation and adaptation practices, improve animal welfare, and boost farmers’ livelihoods.

Food Companies Slow Efforts to Improve Public Health

Food corporations are costing countries billions of dollars in healthcare and legal costs by hindering the adoption of public health measures, according to the World Health Organization’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) make up half the calories consumed by eaters in countries including the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. 

As governments try to implement programs and initiatives that help people adopt healthier diets, food corporations say they support these actions. But an investigation by The Guardian finds that these same corporations are quietly trying to overturn, weaken, or delay them. 

Between 2010 and 2025, corporations brought 235 lawsuits forward in five countries in response to policies targeting UPFs. Even though the companies lost around three-quarters of these cases, they were still successful in slowing the rollout of legislation and discouraging other countries from pursuing similar policies. 

Tedros recognizes that some food products are being reformulated to be made healthier, but stresses more must be done: “These efforts are welcome, but they are not sufficient on their own to meet the scale of this global health crisis. To contribute meaningfully to the solution, companies should also end litigation and other tactics that strain limited government resources and hinder efforts to protect public health.”

RFK Jr. Launches New Cooking Show

Last week, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced the launch of a new cooking show. Kennedy states that he will travel across the country, connecting with chefs to show families “how to cook delicious, nutritious meals with real ingredients all at affordable prices.”

In the first episode of “The Real Food Show,” available on YouTube, Kennedy and Chef Andrew Gruel prepare salmon cakes with an arugula and white bean salad. 

Each recipe is designed to come out to US$5 or less per portion whenever possible but some experts question whether that’s possible. Registered dietitian Juliana Vocca says, “RFK Jr.’s cooking show may be promising in terms of educating the public on how to cook healthy.” But, she adds, “I’m not sure everyone can afford some of his recipes.”

Food prices in the U.S. are 33 percent higher than they were in 2019, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

Tool Helps Women Farmers Unlock Water Security

A new tool known as the Agriculture Water InSecurity (AgWISE) module is tracking the realities of women facing water stress in coastal Bangladesh, helping decision makers develop gender-inclusive water governance and climate policies. 

Women are increasingly impacted by water stress, from increased flooding to erratic rainfall. At the same time, they are taking on larger roles in agriculture. But they remain largely excluded from decisions impacting water management and infrastructure.

AgWISE aims to change this by collecting information to understand the physical and emotional toll of water insecurity. A pilot study with 800 respondents revealed how age, class, land ownership impact a household’s vulnerability. 

By translating everyday experience into actionable evidence, the tool is supplying decision makers with the information they need to create policies. The insights from AgWISE are now being used to shape revisions to Bangladesh’s National Women Development Policy and guide discussions with the Ministry of Finance to integrate the tool into Gender Responsive Budgeting initiatives across climate hotspots. 

CGIAR sees this as an adaptable tool that can be used to support smallholder farming communities around the world.

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The Rockefeller Foundation is helping regenerative school meal programs scale around the world to nourish children, provide stability for farmers, and transform agriculture systems.

The Foundation’s investment in regenerative school meals aims to connect 100 million children around the world with sustainably grown school meals by 2030. The goal is to nourish young people while supporting local farmers and restoring ecosystems, explains Betty Kibaara, Director of the Food Initiative for The Rockefeller Foundation. “A school meal is a very important tool,” she tells Food Tank, calling these feeding programs “a super initiative.” 

An estimated 300 million school-aged children globally go without a nutritious meal each day, according to The Rockefeller Foundation. But when schools nourish students, they can help reduce child hunger and malnutrition by serving a variety of nutritious foods. 

“It’s not just about having a plate of food, maize and beans and rice… We want to make sure that what is on the plate is good and nutritious,” Kibaara says. That’s why The Rockefeller Foundation and their partners have worked to bring ingredients including fortified whole grain flour, biofortified beans, millet, and sorghum into school meals in countries such as Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya.

It’s also about “the impact of a school feeding program beyond a plate,” Kibaara says. 

When students are fed, academic performance improves, allowing students to reach their full potential. These programs also encourage children to stay in school—a benefit that’s particularly important for young girls who might otherwise be asked to remain home and care for the household. 

Holistic program design that prioritizes sustainable procurement practices benefits neighboring producers too. “Local farmers want to access the market, so we want to make those connections,” Kibaara explains. 

She points to Brazil, where the government has mandated that public schools source at least 45 percent of their produce from family farmers and traditional communities. Kenya is exploring a similar approach, helping link farmers to stable markets and better integrate them into school feeding programs. There is room for growth, Kibaara tells Food Tank, “but it’s already working and farmers are earning more money.”

As these programs scale, knowledge sharing between countries, especially those in the Global South, can strengthen them even more. “They say there is no end to learning,” Kibaara says, “and for us, the South-to-South collaboration is an excellent way to learn.”

Watch the full conversation with Betty Kibaara on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about how schools are enhancing their feeding programs with gardens and clean cooking technology, the role of philanthropy and the private sector in catalyzing progress, and why government support is needed for the long-term sustainability of this work. 

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In Pakistan’s Punjab province, the Chief Minister and Prime Minister recently inaugurated the Punjab Agriculture, Food and Drug Authority (PAFDA). The new agency is designed to bring food, agriculture, and drug testing under a single regulatory framework to strengthen food safety and export compliance.

One in five people in Pakistan suffer from foodborne illnesses every year, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This is twice the global average and leads to an estimated productivity loss of US$1.7 billion annually. A paper published in Legal Research & Analysis points to fragmented regulatory authority as one major barrier to an effective food safety system in Pakistan. In Punjab, officials hope coordinated action under the new agency will make the food supply safer.

PAFDA is currently working to merge 23 laboratories, including food, agriculture, and health departments. They plan to collaborate closely with farmers, industry, and regulators to ensure services are practical and responsive. This includes expanding food and drug testing in areas where capabilities have been limited.

“Our focus will continue to remain on investing in our people,” Talat Naseer Pasha, Director General of PAFDA, tells Food Tank. “Our aim is to support compliance, not simply enforce standards.”

PAFDA aims to separate testing from enforcement, and to bring scientific analysis and conformance functions under one independent institution equipped with modern technology, says Pasha. They hope this transition will help them build regulatory credibility, improve compliance with international accreditation standards, and create shared infrastructure that supports exports and public health.

Pasha says that most exporters currently rely on advanced food, agriculture, and pharmaceutical testing outside of Pakistan. By making accredited testing available domestically, the agency aims to help businesses verify compliance with international standards more quickly and affordably. Local testing may also contribute to more effective policy. He believes the agency’s move towards an integrated regulatory framework can serve as a model for other regions in Pakistan.

For food safety and agricultural regulation, “PAFDA represents an important step towards an evidence-based system that can strengthen public health protection, improve regulatory enforcement, and promote confidence in trade,” Aleena Kokab, Senior Microbiology Scientist at at the agency, tells Food Tank.

The Food Testing Lab will analyze food products for safety, quality, and nutritional content to support accurate labeling and regulatory compliance. The Agriculture Testing Lab will assess agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, and water quality. It will also conduct pesticide residue testing in food and water to strengthen food safety and support compliance with export standards.

A study in the journal Water finds that pesticide residues were detected in nearly all water samples collected from 15 of Punjab’s districts. The labs will examine pesticides and other contamination risks at various points in the food system, from farm inputs to end products.

As PAFDA builds its scientific workforce in Lahore, the agency is investing in a hostel for women scientists who are relocating or commuting from outside the city. “This is an important step in improving diversity and inclusion and in building the next generation of scientific leadership,” Pasha says.

Women make up around 70 percent of the agency’s scientists, and the hostel is intended to reduce barriers related to travel and housing.

“In localities like mine, talented women often step back from science due to safety concerns, long commutes, and lack of supportive living facilities,” PAFDA Food Scientist Manahil Zafar, who lives in a small district 350 kilometers outside of Lahore, tells Food Tank. “PAFDA’s women scientists’ hostel breaks these barriers by providing a secure environment where women can focus on their careers without compromise.”

Alongside the establishment of PAFDA comes the launch of Punjab’s Agriculture Lab on Wheels initiative, which will deploy mobile labs across 15 districts to provide real-time soil and water analyses. The Agriculture Department of the Government of Punjab hopes that bringing testing closer to farmers will allow them to quickly assess soil fertility and water quality, receive more timely guidance to inform crop-planning, and improve agricultural productivity.

The program will be supported by a central monitoring control room and 100 container-based facilitation centers staffed with advisers and equipped with digital tools for farmers. Mobile units will provide initial screening in rural areas, while PAFDA conducts confirmatory testing.

“PAFDA is still a young institution, but it represents a long-term investment in strengthening Punjab’s food and agriculture systems,” Pasha says. “Our hope is that it will contribute to safer food, stronger farmer livelihoods, and greater confidence in the quality of what Punjab produces.”

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A recent report from Altus Impact, Groundswell International, and the Association Nourrir Sans Détruire (ANSD) finds that agroecological practices produce better results for farmers in Burkina Faso. The results hold even in drought-stricken areas, with producers seeing higher crop yields and better financial outcomes.

The report, Transformational Agroecology in Burkina Faso, provides concrete data that agroecological practices in Burkina Faso are key to establishing stable farms and farmers.

Extreme rains, flooding events, severe droughts, armed conflict, and deforestation are contributing to large-scale land degradation, displacement, and food insecurity in the landlocked nation. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees reports that more than 2 million people were internally displaced at the end of 2024 in Burkina Faso.

“It was important for us to create this assessment now to show evidence that agroecology can not only feed the growing population thanks to its ability to significantly increase farm yield, but also augment farmers’ and their households’ revenue,” Tsuamba Bourgou, Groundswell International’s West Africa Regional Coordinator, tells Food Tank.

The authors analyzed data from over 400 small-scale farming households in eastern Burkina Faso, comparing per-hectare profitability across different farming styles. These ranged from conventional to early and advanced agroecological practices.

Farmers practicing advanced agroecology, defined as using three or more practices such as zaï (a practice that involves digging small pits to conserve water), half-moons (digging semi-circular earthen basins to collect rainwater), low tillage, no residue burning, stone contour barriers, and Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration of trees, saw yields that were 77 percent higher than conventional farmers and nearly double those of farmers just beginning their transition.

According to the Transformational Agroecology report, 80 percent of Burkinabé depend on farming and pastoralism for their livelihoods. Yields, food security, and farmer income are critical measures of success in the report.

Advanced agroecological farmers fared dramatically better on both fronts: they held median food stocks of 300 kg, triple those of farmers still in transition, and were far less likely to have run out of food in the past year (13 percent versus 45 percent). They also carried significantly less debt, US$8 compared to US$35, and showed greater creditworthiness with rural banks and other financial institutions.

“It enables income diversification (crops, forest products, livestock) and ensures a decent standard of living,” Ali Dianou, co-author of the report and Executive Director of ANSD, tells Food Tank. “Farmers who adopt these practices have less debt and better financial solvency.” Farmers practicing advanced agroecology saw 67 percent higher net incomes than farmers using few or no agroecological practices.

Agroecology also offers environmental benefits, helping vulnerable farming communities remain on their land even in the most difficult climate conditions, potentially keeping climate displacement at bay.

The report finds that agroecological farmers witnessed soil regeneration, which improved soil health, fixed nitrogen, and reintroduced stronger root systems less prone to erosion, all of which helps retain soil moisture and creates a buffer against both drought stress and flood risks.

Groundswell International, ANSD, and Altus Impact aim to scale agroecological practices at a territorial level, using the report’s findings as a tool for advocacy and community sensitization. The report has already been shared widely among NGOs.

Looking ahead, Dianou outlined several long-term goals for his organization, ANSD, including the development of a national agroecology strategy for Burkina Faso. ANSD also aims to shift public funding away from chemical fertilizers and toward organic alternatives, while attracting private investment through blended finance and risk mitigation instruments.

They hope that this work can center the role farmers play in shaping agricultural knowledge informed by indigenous practices.

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A recent study from Yuka and Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic finds that in the United States, cheap foods are more likely to contain ingredients that negatively impact health compared to more expensive products. The report recommends policies to regulate food safety, hold food companies accountable, and improve public health.

The study analyzed more than 800 packaged foods sold nationwide in the U.S. to determine how a product’s price relates to its nutritional quality. The least expensive products contain 163 percent more additives, 21 percent more sugar, and 10 percent more sodium than the most expensive ones. Some products also contain ingredients that are banned in other countries, according to the report.

“Healthy eating cannot simply be framed as an individual responsibility…without acknowledging the structural realities of the food system,” Julie Chapon, Co-Founder of Yuka, a consumer health app, tells Food Tank.

The products span the 12 most popular processed food categories in the Yuka app that are sold nationwide in major U.S. grocery retailers. Examples include store-bought bread, breakfast cereal, pizza, crackers, cereal bars, and tortilla wraps. The report finds that the products in each category can vary greatly in terms of nutritional quality.

“Most people believe that some types of food are generally healthy and others—like desserts or snack products—are not,” Emily Broad Leib, Director of the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, tells Food Tank. She points to store-bought bread as an example, with the cheapest breads containing four times more additives than the most expensive ones. While many consumers view bread as a healthy part of their diet, the ingredients can vary widely between loaves.

“Even basic staples can be either fairly healthy or heavily engineered, and price is quietly pushing lower-income families toward the latter,” says Broad Leib. These findings demonstrate the nutrition inequity embedded in the U.S. food system and help explain the more than US$1 trillion a year spent on diet-related diseases, according to the report.

One of the major hurdles to overcoming these challenges is the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) exemption. The loophole allows companies to self-certify and introduce new ingredients into the U.S. food supply without U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notification or review. The report says, “99 percent of new food chemicals introduced since 2000 have bypassed federal oversight.” These novel substances are rarely reviewed by the FDA after entering the market.

The study recommends reforming the food oversight and safety system that allows for this to happen. These include amending the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) to remove the GRAS loophole and require FDA review of new substances. It suggests systematic reassessments and monitoring of food additive ingredients within the food supply, placing limits on specific substances, improving transparency in flavoring ingredients, and requiring the disclosure of ingredient processing and sources.

The report also states that there is a need for policies to reduce consumer exposure to high-risk additives and ultra-processed foods (UPFs). These include banning these ingredients in schools, reforming food procurement within institutional settings, and utilizing tax credits to incentivize product reformulation without these ingredients.

The authors hope that these policy recommendations, along with public pressure, will push companies to reformulate their products and create a more equitable food system. “Healthier food should not be a luxury,” says Chapon, “Public health protections must evolve to better reflect today’s food environment.”

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Each week, Food Tank is rounding up a few news stories that inspire excitement, infuriation, or curiosity.

More Schools Adopt Community Eligibility to Address Child Hunger

A new study from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) finds that a record number of schools used a federal meal service option to tackle child hunger in the 2025-2026 school year. A reported 55,362 schools—2.1 percent more than the year prior—offered school meals through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows high-need schools to provide breakfast and lunch at no charge to all students. Three quarters of eligible schools have adopted CEP, an option FRAC calls a “key step towards Healthy School Meals for All.”

“More schools are demonstrating that offering healthy school meals to every student at no charge is a game changer for children, families, and schools,” says Crystal FitzSimons, President of FRAC.

To maintain progress, FRAC is calling on the administration to reverse cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Program. CEP eligibility is tied to the number of children who qualify for free school meals — a certification process that is based on SNAP participation. FizSimons worries that without action to undo SNAP cuts, “the progress we have made on Healthy School Meals for All could unravel.” 

What We’re Missing About the Cyclospora Outbreak

A former U.S. Food and Drug Administration official argues that a number of the Trump-Vance administration’s actions “actively undermine microbial food safety.”

In a recent op-ed in STAT, Susan Mayne, who previously served as Director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, worries that program cuts and policy delays are hurting efforts to monitor and respond to contaminants like cyclospora—the parasite linked to thousands of cases of foodborne illnesses across the country.

Mayne raises several concerns. FoodNet, a national foodborne illness surveillance program, has been updated to track fewer pathogens. Six, including cyclospora, have been eliminated from federal tracking. Efforts to improve traceability along the supply chain, which should have gone into effect by now, were delayed until 2028. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) closed an research facility in Beltsville, Maryland, where labs were working on a number of issues, including cyclospora. The administration also disbanded the National Advisory Committee on Microbiology Criteria in Food, which provided food safety advice to FDA and USDA. 

Mayne hopes that the cyclospora outbreak serves as a wake-up call so we don’t force eaters to choose between nutrition and food safety. She writes, “health is made possible when food safety supports consumer confidence in fruits and vegetables.”

The Climate Crisis to ‘Suck Soils Dry’ in Europe

Europe’s record-breaking heatwaves are driving high levels of water evaporation from rivers, lakes, soils, and plants, threatening farmers’ crops. At the same time, extreme wildfires are scorching parts of the region, with Spain and France seeing some of the driest soils.

Although droughts are typically linked to low rainfall, that doesn’t seem to be the case this time, suggesting that extreme heat, made worse by the climate crisis, is to play. Dominik Schumacher, a scientist at ETH Zurich who is behind a new analysis of Europe’s high temperatures, says that this “is our own doing.” He explains that as temperatures climb and air becomes hotter,” it will suck the soils dry.”

The trade association COCERAL estimates that 9 million tonnes of grain will be lost across the region. Additionally, France is expected to see the worst Maize harvest in the last 50 years and Romanian farmers may lose over 1 million hectares of crops. 

Mariam Zachariah, a researcher at Imperial College London and another co-author behind the analysis, says, “Without rapid, aggressive emissions cuts, Europe is heading for a future where these scorching, dry summers happen time and time again.”

Reversing Soil Degradation Can Feed an Additional 70 Million People

A new study in Nature Food finds that there are significant food security benefits if we can restore the Earth’s soils.

For the first time, researchers set out to quantify the effects of soil erosion and compaction, soil water deficits, as well as the loss of above ground vegetation cover and soil organic carbon on agricultural yields. Although these trends are threatening food security, there is also a real opportunity. 

According to the study, restoring soils by just 10 percent can produce enough food to feed an additional 70 million people. Project Drawdown Senior Scientist James Gerber, a co-author of the study, says that this reversal also “contributes to a virtuous cycle.” When soils are improved, it reduces pressure on the land, helping to avoid emissions from deforestation. 

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There’s a difference between ensuring that no one goes hungry and ensuring that every person can nourish their bodies with healthful food. Across the globe, we’re making progress on the first goal—but we still have a ways to go on the second.

Every year, we look to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, compiled by five United Nations agencies, as a checkpoint on global progress toward food security and healthy diets. This year’s report, analyzing 2025 data, was released last week.

Global hunger (sometimes referred to as “chronic undernourishment”) declined for the third year in a row last year, which is optimistic. That’s not something we can take for granted! An estimated 7.8 percent of the world’s population experienced hunger in 2025, down from 8.6 percent in 2022—or 43 million fewer hungry people worldwide. Although there are regional disparities in hunger levels, a downward trend from 2024 to 2025 was observed consistently across the board, including for the first time in a decade in Africa.

“I am taking these results as positive, despite of all the risk and uncertainties that this sector is facing, and let’s hope that we can cope even more with the next year’s problems,” Maximo Torero, Chief Economist for the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), tells me on an episode of the Food Talk podcast.

Looking at the somewhat more complex metric of food security, which is more effective than hunger at accounting for people having to compromise on diet quantity or quality, we see similar trends but need a nuanced analysis. Yes, moderate and severe food insecurity levels also dropped in 2025, which is positive, but that number sits at 25.8 percent of the global population. Not only is that still higher than pre-pandemic numbers, but on a very basic level, it also means 1 in 4 human beings worldwide are not food-secure—which is morally unacceptable.

Broadly we’re moving in the right direction, though still far off from a previous target of ending global hunger by 2030. That goal, Maximo admitted, is now “close to impossible to achieve.” But I think he and I both agree: The global progress we’re seeing on hunger is firm proof that international collaboration works, and the slow pace only underscores the urgency of scaling up financing and implementation.

But as I mentioned, the SOFI report paints a more concerning picture regarding the affordability of healthy diets.

The number of people unable to afford healthy diets did decrease slightly last year compared to 2024. But within the past five years, the cost of a healthy diet has increased by 25 percent to around $4.28 (in purchasing power parity dollars, a metric that adjusts for cost-of-living and productivity across borders). Still, nearly one-third of the global population could not afford a healthy diet last year.

Maternal and child nourishment is also vastly insufficient, the report finds. Only 30.8 percent of children younger than 2 years old consume a minimally diverse diet, which is unbelievably tragic—and fully preventable.

The climate crisis is already hurting the food system, but in recent years, we’ve also seen global conflicts threaten to drive food prices even higher. As just one example cited in the report, the current conflict between the U.S., Israel, and Iran that resulted in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has driven fuel and fertilizer prices up, and food costs have risen alongside.

With major global concerns already posed by climate change, the last thing we need is avoidable conflicts piling on even more pressure, Maximo told me.

“We are looking at more intense and frequent weather events like El Niño now, and therefore this sector needs to be prepared for this. If not, we will have a bigger challenge, and we will move backwards,” he says.

He later continued: “We need to minimize [human-made challenges]. We cannot have situations created by men when we have such a challenge right now in the world because of climate issues.”

So let’s talk solutions.

We need significant increases in public-sector and philanthropic investment and a greater willingness to participate in international collaboration and aid programs, especially from governments of powerful countries like the U.S.

There are more targeted efforts we can push for, too. Although animal products are also expensive, fresh fruits and vegetables make up about the largest share of the cost of healthy diets, about 40 percent. Focusing there, policymakers can more effectively support farmers with better subsidy programs and to facilitate access by improving seed quality, storage facilities, and roads for transporting crops. More regionalized, small-scale food chains can also help prioritize traditional crops at reasonable costs.

“It’s very important to put investment in development of local markets, and that includes indigenous foods, that includes nutritious foods,” Maximo Torero, the FAO chief economist, says.

He says we’re getting better at moving from “just in time” responses to “just in case” proactive solutions to instability. “But we need to keep working on that,” he says, “because resilience, at the end of the line is, how much can (we) absorb the shock and how little time will it take to recover.”

We should be seeing even more effort poured into improving the quality and accessibility of these climate-smart, resilient crops—and strong local markets for them!

I encourage you to take the time to check out my full conversation with Maximo—one of my favorite people for when I want to get into the nitty-gritty of global food policy—and even read through the SOFI report yourself.

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The post Hunger Is Down—But Healthy Food Costs Are Up. What Should We Do? appeared first on Food Tank.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) advanced an agricultural research portfolio that built resilience, boosted yields, and shaped public policies. When the Trump-Vance administration dismantled it last year, their actions created a vacuum that former agency officials hope will be filled by well-intentioned supporters.

Before its closure, USAID’s funding fell into three main buckets. One share went to universities in the United States equipped for advanced agricultural research—some of which were home to the agency’s Feed the Future Innovation Labs, focused on advancing U.S. innovation leadership in agriculture and global food security. Another portion went to international research centers like the CGIAR network and World Vegetable Center, while a smaller chunk supported work in the private sector. 

“We viewed our investments in those three groups of partners in the context of a larger research ecosystem,” Jerry Glover, the former Deputy Director of the Center for Agriculture and Lead for Agricultural Research Strategy and Budget at USAID, tells Food Tank. “Most importantly,” he adds, “USAID had a wide range of highly skilled, world-recognized thought leaders.”

Rather than make isolated investments, the agency aimed to complement and fill in the gaps from funding from the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and other institutions. Research covered everything from crop improvement and horticulture to livestock production and policy issues. 

Glover, who managed an annual portfolio of over US$100 million, saw how this work benefited some of the poorest regions of the world, helping farmers and their communities. The goal wasn’t to prescribe a pathway for individual producers, but to create opportunities that they could pursue to increase their yields. 

“There’s this ripple effect” when farmers’ productivity and livelihoods grow, Glover explains. “Greater local and regional production also greatly impacts local food prices in the market. When those come down…very poor people benefit the most.” 

This shift frees up funds for education and more, “laying the foundation for future improvement,” Glover tells Food Tank. “It’s one of the most robust development theories out there.”

USAID’s investments supported farmers domestically as well—a point often overlooked by critics of the agency. As demand grows abroad, it creates new export markets for U.S.-grown agricultural products. Lessons learned and crop varieties developed also helped prevent problems from becoming crises at home. 

As one example, Glover points to research done on sorghum, a crop that many farmers in the Great Plains rely on. Years ago, a pest decimated the crop, costing millions of dollars in losses. With the agency’s support, U.S. researchers worked with partners in Ethiopia to identify a gene that made sorghum strains more resistant to the bug. 

The result was a new variety of sorghum that U.S. farmers can grow without worrying as much about pest destruction. This single crop has led to savings of more than US$750 million per year, Glover says. 

For decades, investments like these saw broad bipartisan support. When the Trump-Vance administration took office and talk of gutting USAID began, “my first thoughts were that…it wouldn’t be possible to tear it down so quickly,” Glover tells Food Tank. But “they just wiped it out.” 

In the year since USAID’s official closure, Glover says that the research ecosystem has been “so disrupted.” The majority of the Innovation Labs closed, funding was cut off, programs ended, and trust with partners has been broken. He believes that there is no replacing the combination of resources and technical capacity USAID was able to offer, but there is still a way forward. 

The Food Security Leadership Council, where Glover now serves as a Distinguished Fellow, is providing guidance to bring back investments—including for research and development—that support global food security. He hopes that as funding returns, their recommendations will help researchers and development partners pick up where USAID left off without repeating mistakes or reinventing the wheel. 

Glover also sees a glimmer of hope: “I’m confident that we are seeing somewhat of a shift in the traditional donor support in the development arena that could have long-lasting positive impacts.” He also hopes that other governments, including middle-income nations, will support low-income countries and encourage them to increase investments in their agriculture sectors.

“I hope that that vacuum is filled with well-intentioned supporters, and not…by those wanting to extract more from low-income countries.”

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Diet shapes nearly every aspect of human well-being. It influences the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers as well as how we learn, think, feel, age, and function.

That critical connection between food and health was the theme of Food Tank’s Capitol Hill Luncheon on July 29, held in partnership with the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University, “The Power and Peril of Food: The Latest Science on Your Mood, Memory, Metabolism, and Longevity.” The discussions explored how diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and minimally processed foods may benefit mood and mental health, and how nutrition can influence memory, metabolism, and cognitive decline.

According to the National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation, about 6 in 10 Americans live with at least one chronic disease, creating significant health and economic burdens. In 2022, 90 percent of the US$4.5 trillion spent on health care in the United States was for individuals with chronic physical and mental health conditions. And American families feel the impact.

“For an average family of four, we spend US$50,000 a year on healthcare,” says Dariush Mozaffarian, Director of the Food is Medicine Institute. “Imagine if we spent just US$10,000 less per family, what that family could do or what the government could do with the US$10,000 a year, let alone US$20,000 less.”

Eric Verdin, MD, of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, described nutrition as a key influence on multiple systems in the body, serving as a signal to switch metabolic and repair pathways on or off.

“Many of us think about nutrition as a form of energy. Nutrition is actually a lot more than this…The choices that you make when you’re eating influence your metabolism and your brain,” says Verdin, who also connected diet to chronic inflammation and brain health. “What happens when you have a poor diet is you enter a state of chronic inflammation…This affects your brain.”

Ultra-processed foods were a major focus of discussion at the event, with speakers pointing to their prevalence in the American diet and potential connections to chronic disease and other health outcomes. Speakers agreed that more research is needed to understand what makes ultra-processed foods impact health and how the food system might pivot toward more nutritious options.

“Ultra-processed food represents 50 percent of nutrition for most Americans,” says Verdin. “These foods are not engineered for nutrition; they’re engineered for palatability and to make you eat more.”

Nutrition’s influence extends beyond physical health, too. Ashley Gearhardt, PhD, Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan, says “some of the strongest evidence between ultra-processed food diets and disease is actually for mental health conditions…We are seeing a strong body of evidence that the food you’re eating is going to influence how your mind is working.”

Jan Ellison Baszucki, President of the Baszucki Group, shared a personal story highlighting the potential for metabolic approaches to address mental health conditions: Her son used a ketogenic diet to help treat bipolar disorder. She questioned whether the country is investing enough in research on the relationship between metabolism and mental health.

“Can we afford, as a society, to not investigate nutritional, metabolic approaches to our most serious mental illnesses?” says Baszucki.

Speakers also challenged the traditional approach to healthcare, arguing that prevention and nutrition should play a greater role. “We have a medical system now that we call healthcare. It is not healthcare, it is sickcare,” says Verdin.

The discussion comes as policymakers and the public are paying greater attention to the role of food in health. At a time when Americans disagree on many issues, speakers agreed that improving nutrition and reducing diet-related disease offers common ground.

“I’ve been thinking about active advocacy in this area for about 10 years, and I’ve never seen such bipartisan support,” says Mozaffarian.

Calley Means, Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, agreed that “wherever we are on the political aisle, we can all hopefully agree that there is a unique political moment right now where we are talking about these things more in this country.”

Speakers called for better data and research to understand how nutrition affects individuals differently, including using emerging technologies.

“The age of AI is here, and we should be implementing it to collect more accurate data to offer personalized solutions for some individuals, but also offer better research,” says Uma Naidoo, MD, Director of Nutritional & Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Ultimately, the event underscored the importance of turning scientific findings into policies and practices that can improve health at scale.

“There’s a handful of policies that we could enact to both improve the science and improve the food right now for Americans,” says Mozaffarian. He emphasizes that while much more investment is needed in science and solutions, “there really is an opportunity here, and we really can fix this.”

Watch the full event below:

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The post Experts Highlight the Power of Food to Improve Metabolic and Mental Health appeared first on Food Tank.

This article is part of Food Tank’s primer series, “Food Tank Explains.” Each installment unpacks the ideas, innovations, and challenges shaping today’s food and agriculture systems, offering clear insights into complex topics. To explore more articles in the series, click here.

Blue foods are foods harvested from water. They include fish, seafood, and seaweed—wild caught or farmed—and are derived from marine, freshwater, or aquaculture systems. They play an essential role in the livelihood, cultures, and nutrition of millions, and can strengthen global food security and support sustainable food systems.

Dating back over 100,000 years, harvesting blue foods is one of the earliest forms of food gathering. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 800 million people rely on blue foods for income, with wild capture fishing alone employing about 33 million people.

Blue foods are particularly significant to coastal, island, and river communities. In West African coastal nations, fishing supports 7 million livelihoods and generates US$5 billion annually. Pacific islands rely heavily on tuna revenues, which bring in US$7 billion each year. And for the 30 million coastal Indigenous peoples around the world, who eat four times more seafood than the global average, the ocean has sustained their livelihood for thousands of years.

For many aquatic communities, blue foods form a central part of cultural identity, shaping rituals, traditions, and daily life. In Batanes Province, Philippines, where researchers say fishing is far more than just a livelihood, some families relocate during fishing seasons to remain near important fisheries.

Communities in western Korea gather annually for Daedonggut to honor fishers who have died at sea and pray for a bountiful catch. Nigeria’s Argungu Fishing and Cultural Festival and Mali’s Antogo ceremony both center on communal fishing, celebration, and the sharing of harvests.

In Fiji, nearshore seagrass meadows historically enabled the women of Dawasamu to harvest aquatic foods for their community while remaining close to home. “Our food, medicine, and life came and continues to come from the ocean,” says Kii’iljuus Barbara Wilson of the Cumshewa Eagle Clan. “We are Ocean People.”

Aquatic foods provide nutrition to 3.3 billion people, contributing around 90 percent of protein intake in some communities. Many are rich in essential micronutrients—including iron, zinc, calcium, and vitamin A—and fatty acids. These nutrients support cognitive development, cardiovascular health, and immune function, and are linked to reduced rates of stunting, maternal and infant mortality, and heart disease.

They present “huge opportunities for better nutrition and healthier diets,” according to Jim Leape, Co-director of Stanford’s Center for Ocean Solutions, and a board member for the Blue Food Assessment (BFA).

Even small quantities can have a significant nutritional impact, Rosamund Naylor, a member of the BFA’s Science Committee, tells Food Tank. Fish increase micronutrient availability, Naylor explains, increasing the degree to which nutrients from other foods can be absorbed and utilized by the body.

As corporate consolidation reshapes much of the food system, the blue food sector remains largely operated by small-scale producers, providing about 40 percent of the global catch and generating US$77 billion annually. Small-scale fisheries rely heavily on women, who comprise half the sector’s workforce. Women support every stage, playing a crucial but often underdocumented role in harvesting and marketing.

Despite their substantial contribution to livelihoods and nutrition, blue food systems have even greater potential to strengthen global food security and mitigate the food system’s environmental impacts. Global fisheries recently produced 178 million tons of aquatic animals and 36 million tons of algae in one year, a record high. FAO projects that by 2030, those numbers could grow by 15 percent, a massive potential growth in the food supply.

And according to the U.N., most blue food systems provide animal-source protein with relatively low greenhouse gas emissions and impacts on biodiversity. Certain systems, like aquaculture of mussels and clams, can improve their environment.

But researchers and organizations, including the World Bank and the U.N., agree that without stronger governance and sustainable practices, blue foods could shift from an opportunity to an additional source of environmental strain.

Environmental changes threaten over 90 percent of blue food production, and fishing practices are depleting some of the world’s most important ocean stocks. A third of wild seafood populations cannot regenerate quickly enough to meet demand.

Aquatic food systems are also threatened by unsustainable fishing, according to the BFA. And they are rife with unethical practices, says Mark Kaplan, Co-Founder and Partner of the blockchain-based traceability system Wholechain.

“Integrity and supply chain stakeholders are not synonymous,” Kaplan tells Food Tank. “That’s why traceability is so necessary.” He believes that with greater transparency comes improved sustainability.

Integrating blue foods into policymaking alongside land-based foods offers another opportunity to strengthen these systems, blue foods advocates say. “I would like food policymakers to not think twice about including blue foods in food system strategies,” says Naylor. According to Chef and Advocate Andrew Zimmern, “we have to include our blue spaces everywhere that we’re talking about our green spaces.”

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Photo courtesy of Alfredo Abreu Vasquez

The post Food Tank Explains: Blue Foods appeared first on Food Tank.

Blue foods can be complex; consumers can easily be overwhelmed. With so many species, preparation methods, and marketing claims. Because of size, scale, and accessibility, the ocean remains a largely invisible part of the food system for many consumers. Not everyone can walk down to the dock and watch a local fisherman coming in with the catch of the day.

And yet, the importance of blue foods for people and the planet is simple: we must navigate complexities by educating consumers while encouraging science-based fishery management and transparent verification along the seafood supply chain.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) recent State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) 2026 report paints a complex but encouraging picture on the state of our wild capture fisheries. While overfishing persists as a serious global challenge—with the share of fish stocks classified as biologically sustainable declining slightly to 62.4 percent—the report also demonstrates that we already have a solution: sustainable management of fisheries.

The SOFIA report shows more than one-third of the global population gets at least one-fifth of their animal protein from blue foods. The report indicates that global trade in aquatic animal products reached $184 billion, rivaling the value of all other animal proteins combined.

Simultaneously, new data from the world’s largest survey of more than 20,500 seafood consumers revealed increased awareness and optimism about the state of the world’s oceans. The survey, done in partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council and GlobeScan, details environmental and seafood awareness and understanding from consumers in 23 countries.

The data show that consumers appear to increasingly understand the challenges and opportunities facing oceans and fisheries. While 58 percent of Americans correctly recognize that overfishing is more widespread today than it was 50 years ago, 17 percent believe fish populations can never recover from overfishing, and another 25 percent remain unsure.

The reality is that fish populations can and do recover when fisheries are managed sustainably. Around the world, there are countless examples of depleted fisheries rebuilding through science-based catch limits, strong monitoring programs, and collaboration among fishers, scientists, governments, and environmental organizations.

Seafood consumers have increased confidence that positive change is possible; 51 percent believe our oceans can be saved from irreparable damage over the next 20 years, up from 41 percent in 2024.

And consumers in the United States increasingly want to be part of that future. The survey found that 58 percent of U.S. seafood consumers say purchasing products with ecolabels aligns with their personal values. Participants report taking actions such as reducing plastic use and seeking seafood they believe to be sustainably sourced. Shoppers are increasingly noticing ecolabeled products, rising from 28 percent in 2024 to 40 percent in 2026. Awareness of the MSC blue fish label similarly increased from 28 percent to 35 percent.

As consumers navigate increasingly complex and crowded seafood aisles, independent certification and ecolabels help provide confidence that sustainability claims have been verified by a credible third party. 60 percent of seafood consumers say ecolabels increase their trust in brands, while sustainably sourced seafood continues to rank among the most important purchase considerations, following quality, health, and price.

And consumers recognize their choices can make a difference. Market demand for responsibly sourced seafood sends important signals throughout the supply chain, rewarding fisheries that invest in sustainable practices and encouraging broader adoption of effective management.

At the same time, concern about ocean health remains high, with nearly nine in ten U.S. seafood consumers worrying about the state of the world’s oceans. And that concern is warranted. Overfishing persists in many regions, and the SOFIA report highlights significant disparities between areas with strong management systems and those where management capacity remains limited.

The challenges facing our oceans are real, but so are the solutions. Science-based fisheries management, independent verification, robust monitoring, and collaborative action have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to rebuild fish populations and support thriving fishing communities.

Awareness and optimism are essential ingredients for the long-term work of protecting oceans and ensuring that sustainable seafood remains part of our future. The survey data represents a win for fisheries and businesses and all partners prioritizing healthy oceans and sustainable seafood for future generations. This awareness and optimism can buoy us, knowing we are making a difference, and sending positive market signals to fisheries. After all, a rising tide lifts all boats.

The benefits of blue foods are simple: they provide sustainable protein to a growing global population, foster global food security, and secure and provide livelihoods, among many other benefits. The onus is on us to produce and use these resources sustainably to ensure we have them for the future.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

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The post Op-Ed | Blue Foods Already Feed the World: In the U.S., Awareness and Optimism Grow appeared first on Food Tank.

The Los Angeles Food Policy Council’s (LAFPC) Cultivating Farmers program helps urban and peri-urban farmers navigate land access, business development, and long-term viability.

Through workshops, technical assistance, and free one-on-one advising, the program supports growers as they work to build and sustain their operations. For Black Thumb Farm, a nonprofit urban farm in the San Fernando Valley, that support has supported them through a years-long effort to secure long-term access to public land.

Cultivating Farmers launched in 2024 to provide business-focused support to farmers across Los Angeles. Rather than focusing on production practices, the program centers business planning, insurance, grant writing, marketing, and sales strategy.

“The program is all about supporting urban farmers with the business side of running a farm,” Nikhita Jain, Senior Urban Agriculture Program Associate at LAFPC, tells Food Tank. “Outside the work of growing food, starting and operating a farm business has its own learning curve.”

According to Jain, many urban farmers in Los Angeles face barriers that extend well beyond growing food. She says the city lacks some of the support systems available in other cities.”The City of Los Angeles does not have a dedicated person or office focused on urban agriculture,” Jain tells Food Tank.

Without those resources, Jain says many farmers rely on informal agreements with schools, churches, and community organizations to access land. While those arrangements with landowners can create opportunities, they can also leave farmers vulnerable if leadership changes or properties are sold.

“It’s all relationship-based,” Jain explains. “Maybe there’s a city council member who really believes in what the urban farmer is doing. But then if that person changes, that’s where that uncertainty comes in.”

The lack of long-term land security can make it difficult for farmers to plan. Jain says growers may hesitate to invest in infrastructure or soil improvements when they do not know whether they will still have access to the land several years later. Informal arrangements can also make it harder to access certain grants and federal programs that require documentation of land tenure.

Black Thumb Farm has experienced many of those challenges firsthand.

Founded by Alexys Romo and Analisa Joh, the nonprofit urban farm centers BIPOC youth and communities through land-based programming, culturally sustaining food production, and environmental education. The organization operates programs that introduce young people to farming, workforce development, food sovereignty, and stewardship of the natural world.

Black Thumb Farm has spent roughly five years working to secure access to a 2.3-acre publicly owned parcel in the northeastern San Fernando Valley.

“There is no formal or institutionalized process,” Jain tells Food Tank. “They just started calling the city and trying to figure out who to talk to. Eventually they got a call back.”

Throughout that effort, Black Thumb Farm has worked with partners including the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust while navigating multiple layers of local government. Jain says the experience illustrates both the persistence required of urban farmers and the need for stronger institutional support.

Helping farmers navigate those challenges is a central part of Cultivating Farmers’ mission. In addition to workshops, the program offers individualized advising sessions with Jain where growers can receive support tailored to their specific goals and obstacles.

Jain believes additional public investment and dedicated support structures could help more urban farmers establish long-term roots. But she also points to organizations like Black Thumb Farm as evidence of what is possible when growers receive the support they need.

For communities across Los Angeles, the benefits extend beyond food production. Farms can create green space, provide educational opportunities, and strengthen community connections. Through Cultivating Farmers, LAFPC is working to ensure that the people building those spaces have the tools and resources to succeed.

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Photo courtesy of Black Thumb Farm

The post How One Los Angeles Program Helps Urban Farmers Thrive appeared first on Food Tank.

Each week, Food Tank is rounding up a few news stories that inspire excitement, infuriation, or curiosity.

Bangladeshi Farmers and Environmentalists Protest Harmful Pesticides

This week, food producers and environmentalists gathered in northwestern Bangladesh, where they called on national leaders to phase out extremely hazardous pesticides including paraquat. 

Fishers say that they used to catch a wide variety of local fish, but over the years, populations—and their income—have declined. Indigenous communities are also losing wild and medicinal plants and other foods they rely on. Advocates say that Bangladesh, as a member of the Rotterdam Convention and the Stockholm Convention, is obliged to play a role in implementing international commitments. 

“Agriculture dependent on pesticides and chemicals can never be sustainable,” says Atikur Rahman, President of the Barendra Youth Forum “We want a farming system where safe food, biodiversity conservation and climate justice are ensured together.”

USDA Reorganization Threatens Major Programs

Employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are warning that the agency’s reorganization plans threaten several key programs that support food aid, food safety,  and agricultural research. 

If employees are relocated as planned, less than 10 people will oversee the billions of dollars managed through the country’s international food aid program, Food For Peace, according to Collin Bradley, President of AFSCME Local 3976, the labor union representing USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. He believes the changes will “decimate the agency.”

Last week, food safety groups also asked Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to pause the relocation of the Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory. In a letter, they wrote, “The loss of highly specialized scientific expertise would be substantial” and similar moves in the past have led to “gaps in institutional knowledge and reduced effectiveness.”

One Agricultural Research Service employee, who asked to remain anonymous, worries about the toll the moves take on morale as well, telling Politico, “everybody is just really in a bad place mentally.”

Rodale Institute Launches Campaign to Transition 10 Million Acres

Rodale Institute launched a new campaign to transition 10 million acres of U.S. farmland to organic and regenerative organic by 2030.

CEO Jeff Tkach says, “Our goal is simple: give farmers the research, education and support they need to succeed. When they do, the benefits reach far beyond the farm to strengthen our communities and the economy.”

One of the central pieces of the campaign is their Center for Regenerative Organic Innovation, which officially broke ground. Set to open in 2028, it will serve as a national hub for farmer education that includes three virtual classrooms.

The Institute aims to raise US$139 million to support the full campaign, which is guided by their new five-year Strategic Plan. These funds will help them conduct 10 long-term research trials; educate 100,000 farmers, agricultural professionals, and consumers; and reach 100 million people. At a time when the average age of U.S. farmers is on the rise, the Institute hopes to create more career paths to bring young people into agriculture. 

Brazil Invests in Thriving Namibian Food Systems

The government of Brazil announced a US$120,000 investment to continue a successful program boosting food security in Namibia. The new funding is expected to benefit more than 1,000 people. 

The project, which was implemented by the Namibian government in 2021 with support of the World Food Programme, has grown into a network of community farms that produce vegetables and eggs for schools, clinics, and vulnerable households. They also offer training to help farmers develop their business skills. 

National Planning Commission Director General Ambassador Kaire Mbuende says the program proves that people can move from relief to resilience. “Communities that once received food are now producing it,” he says. 

Mbuende sees Brazil’s support as an prime example of South-South cooperation, stating, “Brazil shares with us the lessons of its own journey, from school feeding linked to family farming to public procurement from smallholder producers. These are lessons between equals.”

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The post Food Tank’s Weekly News Roundup: Farmers Protest Toxic Pesticides, USDA Plans Threaten the Agency, Rodale Institute Invests in Agricultural Transformation appeared first on Food Tank.

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Do you remember what you ate for dinner last night?

Good diets can actually help support our memories! And our moods, and our metabolisms. Every day, scientists are working to better understand the powerful connections between nutrition and nearly every component of human health, both physical and mental.

Many people, including policymakers in Congress, know that high-quality nutrition can help us live longer and more healthful lives. But it’s the specific details—which nutrients are most beneficial; what metabolic and cognitive impacts do our diets have; how we can make sure people can access good food—that are particularly important for us all to understand.

That’s why Food Tank is heading to Capitol Hill next week with our partners at the Tufts University Food is Medicine Institute, for a bipartisan luncheon event titled “The Power and Peril of Food: The Latest Science on Your Mood, Memory, Metabolism, and Longevity.”

The program runs 12:00PM to 1:30PM ET, with lunch provided when doors open at 11:30. If you can join us in person, CLICK HERE to reserve a spot at the event, in Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 106, in Washington, D.C.

Otherwise, we’ll see you in our livestream audience, which you can bookmark HERE.

We’ll also be joined by an expert lineup of speakers including United States Senators Roger Marshall of Kansas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana; Calley Means, Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Dariush Mozaffarian, Food is Medicine Institute; Ashley Gearhardt, PhD, University of Michigan; Eric Verdin, MD, Buck Institute for Research on Aging; Jan Ellison Baszucki, Baszucki Group; Uma Naidoo, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital; and more to be announced.

Events like Food Tank’s Capitol Hill luncheons are powerful opportunities for you to get to talk with researchers and legislators on the front lines of food science and food policy! This is about having a voice in the future of nutrition policy—and it’s also about accountability. In my opinion, it’s important to the health of our democracy for these conversations to be happening with science-backed experts and attendees who can fact-check and hold politicians to their word, rather than behind closed doors.

HERE is the link to tune into our livestream, and you can CLICK HERE to reserve a seat in person.

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Photo courtesy of Sara Cottle, Unsplash

The post Can Better Food Policy Improve Our Memories, Moods, and Metabolisms? appeared first on Food Tank.

Ryan Brodersen has always wanted to be a farmer. Unfortunately, his parents made the difficult decision to quit farming in the early 1990s, ending a legacy of at least four generations of farming in Nebraska. Ryan’s future was uncertain, he says, as high land prices and upfront costs have made it difficult for young people to get started independently.

“They chose to quit, and I hated them for it, honestly,” says Ryan, who was 14 years old at the time. “I just wanted to farm. That was never a question.”

The family moved to South Dakota, where he later met his wife, Angie. Ryan went five years without planting a crop until he was “in the right place at the right time,” he says. His grandmother had been renting out some farmland, and it was available for new tenants. With the help of a beginning farmer loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, the Brodersens were farming again.

But those early years weren’t easy. Ryan worked multiple jobs to keep the farm afloat: Driving a truck, working in a factory, and working on a pig breeding farm at various times, all while earning a college degree. Their long-term dream was taking care of and earning a living on their own land, full-time.

The Brodersens found stability by partnering with a specialty pork company. Niman Ranch, a network of more than 600 independent U.S. farmers, offers a guaranteed market for pigs raised to high standards of sustainable and humane farming practices. Once the Brodersens started raising pigs in partnership with Niman Ranch, “the barns have never been empty ever since,” Ryan says. By 2018, their farm quadrupled in size, and they had purchased land of their own.

“We used to raise a few hogs as a side hustle with growing crops, and now we just grow crops to feed hogs,” says Ryan, explaining that once they found a stable market, they made a conscious decision to shift their farm’s focus to hogs. 

Today, the Brodersens don’t need to purchase artificial fertilizer for any of the farms they own; instead, they cycle their hog manure and composted bedding onto the fields. Spreading manure is labor-intensive, and labor is the most limited resource on a farm, says Ryan, but he sees the long-term benefit for the land: “I would say that the fertility in our soil is extremely high.”

There have been tough times since, including when a grain elevator near their Randolph, Nebraska, farm went out of business, Ryan says. But “the hogs carried us through.”

Ryan also simply enjoys the work, he says. He raises hogs outdoors, as opposed to the highly controlled environment of confinement barns, where the vast majority of U.S. hogs are raised. This requires more decision-making in the day-to-day operations of the farm, but Ryan likes the problem-solving that is required. He is constantly finding new ways to be efficient and sustainable.

 “I see the pigs thrive in this environment. They do well. They’re healthy,” says Ryan. Hogs also have a fast turnaround compared to other livestock like cattle, so he has more opportunities to improve throughout each year: “Can I make this one better than the last one?” 

With companies like Niman Ranch and consumer interest in sustainably and humanely produced food, the Brodersens are hopeful that their farm can not only survive but also be passed on to the next generation. If any of their three children want to return to the farm one day, they won’t have to buy more land. They can build a more diversified, integrated, and sustainable farm on their existing acreage. And they say their diversified farm is a great place to raise their family. 

“It allows our kids to bring their own individuality to the farm,” says Angie. “We don’t want them to fill our shoes. We want them to find where their strengths are and improve our operations. And now they have the platform to do that.”

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Photo courtesy of the Brodersens

The post From Risk to Resilience in Nebraska’s Hog Industry appeared first on Food Tank.

Global hunger declined for the third year in a row, but nearly one-third of the world’s population still cannot afford a healthy diet, according to a new United Nations report.

The new State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report finds that an estimated 7.8 percent of the world’s population experienced hunger in 2025, down from 8.6 percent in 2022—a reduction of 43 million people.

Although progress is slow, Maximo Torero, Chief Economist for the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), welcomes the news. 

“The surprising part, which puts us in a very positive mood, is the fact that in all regions we are seeing a decline,” Torero tells Food Tank. Due to population growth, Africa is now home to the highest number of hungry people. But the percentage of people experiencing hunger on the continent has stabilized, even falling slightly for the first time in ten years. 

The world remains far off track from ending hunger by 2030, however. U.N. projections show that there will likely be between 500–522 million people in chronic undernourishment by the end of the decade. These numbers will be heavily impacted by how nations navigate shocks created by the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, which severely limited access to fuel and fertilizer.

“It’s close to impossible to achieve zero hunger by 2030,” Torero tells Food Tank. “But the goal is to reduce as much as we can, and if we can achieve zero hunger by 2050, I think that would be great.”

The report also reveals that around one-third of the global population can’t afford a healthy diet. The cost now sits around $4.28 per day. That’s 25 percent more than it was in 2020 and “significantly higher” than the extreme poverty line of $3.00, Torero explains. 

The U.N. calls on governments to take action to make the foods that are most expensive and nutrient-dense—including fruits, vegetables, and animal-source foods—more affordable. Improving storage, roads, and seed quality can have a significant impact, Torero says. Improving trade and repurposing subsidies offer governments other interventions. 

Healthy school meals are also worth investing in for the generational impacts. “That will help you to reduce the problem of undernourishment in children. It will help you reduce the problem of overweight and obesity in children,” Torero tells Food Tank. “But at the same time you are assuring that these kids’ cognitive ability is growing over time…it’s also their capacity in the future to evolve that will bring a lot of benefits to the country.” 

Watch the full conversation with Maximo Torero on “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg” to hear more about the solutions that can make a healthy diet accessible to all, what the decline in development assistance means for ending hunger, and the countries that are leading the way on reducing food and nutrition insecurity.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Shi, Unsplash

The post Global Hunger Falls for Third Straight Year, But Zero Hunger by 2030 Remains Out of Reach appeared first on Food Tank.

This article is part of Food Tank’s primer series, “Food Tank Explains.” Each installment unpacks the ideas, innovations, and challenges shaping today’s food and agriculture systems, offering clear insights into complex topics. To explore more articles in the series, click here.

Organic farming intends to maintain and improve healthy soils, support ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity through a combination of cultural, biological, and mechanical farming practices.

Although organic agriculture is defined, regulated, and certified differently across countries and institutions, a core value of organic farming is working in harmony with nature. Organic standards typically prohibit or strictly limit many synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and synthetic growth hormones.

Instead, farmers build soil fertility with practices like composting, cover cropping, and crop rotation. Healthy soils support plants that are more resistant to pest pressure and can attract populations of beneficial insects, according to the Rodale Institute.

More serious pest problems are managed with methods like applying pheromones to disturb pest mating cycles, or mechanical controls like trapping. Organic livestock standards also generally require greater access to the outdoors and practices that support animal welfare.

Because of bans or limits on artificial fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, organic systems often require less fossil fuel-derived inputs. This means they also have a lower carbon footprint compared to conventional agriculture. In a 40-year trial, Rodale Institute found that organic farming systems used 45 percent less energy than conventional systems while maintaining crop yields.

Organic practices that foster soil health also help increase carbon sequestration. A review of 400 studies comparing thousands of farms shows that organic systems contain higher levels of stable soil organic carbon and produce lower nitrous oxide emissions than conventional agriculture. And according to Soil Association research, organic farms have on average 44 percent more soil carbon, and 50 percent more wildlife.

Yazen Al Komadi, an organic farmer based in the United Arab Emirates, likes to show the tangible benefits of organic farming systems to his farm’s visitors. “We’re not trying to use scare tactics about sustainability or chemicals,” he tells Food Tank. Instead, he encourages them to feel the difference in their soil, admire the insects living under their feet, and take in crop diversity.

Research also suggests that organic farming can make agricultural systems more resilient. By increasing organic matter in the soil, organic farming improves water infiltration by 15–20 percent, helping crops better withstand drought and heavy rainfall, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. In the Rodale Institute’s Farming Systems Trial, organic crop yields were as much as 40 percent higher than conventional yields during drought years.

“I think that folks are realizing that what you do to the planet, you do to yourself,” Matthew Dillon, the Co-CEO of the Organic Trade Association (OTA), tells Food Tank. “I want us to think about organic not just as an investment in any given season, but an investment in the future generations.”

Organic certification requirements vary across countries, but they generally establish standards for how food is produced, processed, and labeled. In the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program requires crops to be grown on land that has been free of prohibited substances for at least three years before harvest.

Farmers must prioritize practices such as crop rotation, cover cropping, and biological pest management, while genetic engineering, sewage sludge, and ionizing radiation are prohibited. Livestock must receive certified organic feed, year-round access to the outdoors, and preventive health care. Products bearing the USDA Organic seal must contain at least 95 percent certified organic ingredients.

As U.S. eaters become increasingly concerned about the overuse and misuse of pesticides, interest in alternative practices is growing, says Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University. “I think [that] will cause more and more people to look at organic and I think that’s a great thing,” she tells Food Tank.

Under the European Commission Organic Farming regulations, artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides are banned unless explicitly pre-approved by the European Commission, and crops are required to be rotated. Soil Association Certification is the United Kingdom’s leading organic certifier, certifying around 70 percent of all organic food.

Canada regulates organic claims only for products traded across provincial or international borders. Across much of Africa, organic certification remains closely tied to export markets, and national legal frameworks range from comprehensive legislation to voluntary standards that continue to evolve.

Global temperatures are rising, precipitation patterns are changing, and pest populations are developing pesticide resistance. That’s why the Rodale Institute believes now is the time to transition to organic practices.

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The post Food Tank Explains: Organic Agriculture appeared first on Food Tank.

Last night, I slept beneath the stars in the mountains and wondered. As darkness dissolved the contours of the trees into shadow, the night sky revealed itself in astonishing detail. In that vastness, my thoughts wandered between the known and the unknown.

For as long as humans have existed, we have looked toward the stars and the horizon, asking enduring questions: Where did we come from? Who are we becoming? And how do we shape what comes next?

Across cultures, answers to these questions often emerged through food and our relationships with the living world. In the origin stories of communities across Southwest China, the Himalayan foothills, and Southeast Asia, humans emerged from a gourd. In the Maya creation story, humans are formed from maize. In other traditions, people emerged from rice, yams, coconuts, animals, fertile landscapes, and the earth itself. In Abrahamic traditions, humans are created from the earth and placed within a garden, where nourishment shapes humanity’s earliest story.

Food was origin. Across cultures, humanity understood itself emerging from the living world. These origin stories explained our beginnings and expanded humanity’s sense of what was possible. Wonder has always done this. It expands the boundaries of what we believe is possible, allowing us to imagine futures that do not yet exist.

For more than 95 percent of our existence as a species, we lived within the living world by hunting, gathering, fishing, foraging, and moving with the rhythms of landscapes, seasons, and the migrations of other living beings. Then, over thousands of years, communities in different parts of the world began one of humanity’s most consequential expansions of possibility: saving seeds, domesticating plants and animals, and cultivating the landscapes that would eventually give rise to villages, civilizations, and the food systems we know today.

Agriculture emerged as people responded to changing conditions with necessity, curiosity, and imagination. The first cultivators learned by observing the living world: the relationships between seed and soil, rain and harvest, seasons and scarcity. Perhaps they noticed seeds sprouting in the disturbed soils around campsites and wondered what might happen if those seeds were planted with intention. Through generations of experimentation, gathering gradually gave rise to cultivation, one of humanity’s defining transformations.

Agriculture reshaped humanity’s relationship with food, living systems, and one another. People remained rooted in place as trade routes connected distant landscapes through the exchange of foods, seeds, knowledge, culture, and conquest. Villages and new forms of governance emerged. Communities formed around shared labor and stewardship. Farmers, seed keepers, tool makers, healers, artisans, traders, and storytellers all became part of the living web that allowed communities to flourish. Like every food systems transformation, agriculture expanded possibility while creating new responsibilities and unintended consequences.

These relationships shape food systems around the world. I have witnessed them with remarkable clarity in one of the most biodiverse and resilient food systems I have ever encountered: Akha communities in Yunnan Province in the Upper Mekong River Basin.

For the Akha, a food system is community. The food system does not create the community. Communities co-create the food system with the living world.

Over time, I asked Akha elders what makes a community. They taught me that a community is created through the relationships and elements that sustain life across generations: seeds, fire, the shaman, the knowledge of cultivation, the silversmith who forges the agricultural tools, and the tools themselves. No single element creates a community. It is the relationships among them that allow a community to emerge and flourish.

People plant trees for their grandchildren that they themselves may never harvest. In that simple act lies a profound understanding of what sustains life.

Food systems are often defined by their structures and functions: the people, places, institutions, and activities that produce, process, distribute, consume, and dispose of food. Those structures and functions matter, yet they emerge from something deeper. A food system is the living web of relationships that sustains life across generations.

The relationships we cultivate shape what becomes possible. When those relationships flourish, food systems flourish. We flourish.

Food systems transformation begins by reimagining our relationships and what we believe is possible and who are we becoming.

For millennia, stars guided humanity toward horizons it could not yet fully see, from the way finders of Polynesia to cultures around the world guided by the night sky.

Food systems transformation is much the same. We know the world we are leaving behind. There is gratitude for what has sustained us, relief for what we are ready to release, and loss for what may not come with us. While we cannot fully see what lies beyond the horizon, wonder invites us forward.

Years ago, while preparing a seminar on what I had learned throughout my career, I realized that the familiar arc of scientific discovery never captured the whole story. When I shared this with my husband, he responded, “Talk about the liminal space.” That idea stayed with me.

Derived from the Latin limen, meaning threshold, anthropologists use liminality to describe the space between one way of being and another, where familiar assumptions begin to dissolve before new ones have fully emerged.

Liminality is often mistaken for uncertainty. From the perspective of history, the liminal space is where innovations are born. Innovation is not always invention; sometimes it is the rediscovery of enduring relationships in new contexts.

As the health of people and the planet comes under increasing strain, our capacity to understand and shape the future is expanding in extraordinary ways. Just as we have long looked to the stars, we are discovering new universes closer to home, in our soils, our food, and our gut. Artificial intelligence is synthesizing relationships across ecosystems, molecules, microbes, and human biology at a scale and precision previously beyond our reach, opening new frontiers of discovery. Regenerative agriculture is restoring relationships with soil and biodiversity while drawing upon knowledge cultivated across generations.

Wonder has always expanded what we believe is possible. Now it invites us to decide what possibilities we pursue, what relationships we carry forward, what values guide us, and ultimately, who we are becoming and how we shape what comes next.

In my early years of teaching food systems, I noticed something unexpected that now seems obvious. As students moved deeper into their degree program, many began to lose hope. Complexity does not necessarily expand our sense of possibility; without hope, imagination, and resilience, it can narrow it. It made me question how we teach food systems and the stories we tell about them. In preparing food systems leaders, we need to cultivate knowledge, hope, resilience, and the capacity to imagine and co-create what comes next.

Resilient people create resilient communities, and resilient communities co-create resilient food systems with the living world. Every day, we make decisions that shape the food system that future generations will inherit, from the crops farmers plant and how they steward their land to the meals families prepare, the investments funders support, and the policies that govern our food environments.

We often search for a single innovation or policy that will transform everything. History suggests otherwise. Innovation may expand our capability, but it cannot tell us what future is worth creating. That remains profoundly human.

The most enduring transformations emerge from cultivating the relationships and values that shape what becomes possible.

Systems thinker Fritjof Capra reminds us that the horizon is not a destination but a guide. As we move toward it, it moves with us. We never fully arrive because every horizon reveals another beyond it. The same is true of food systems transformation. Every discovery reshapes our understanding. Every challenge reveals new possibilities. Every possibility reveals another horizon.

As I look back to the stars, I wonder what stories my daughter and the generations that follow will tell about who we chose to become and the relationships we chose to cultivate with the living world.

We are becoming the ancestors of future food systems.

This essay is part of Food Tank’s Flourish Series: Food and Health from Molecules to Systems, authored by Selena Ahmed, exploring how food connects us to the living world while asking what it means to flourish. For more in the series, click here. 

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

The post Op-Ed | Food Systems at the Threshold: Wonder Between What Is and What Could Be appeared first on Food Tank.