Dietitian Melinda Hemmelgarn helps listeners “think beyond their plates,” connect the dots between food, health and agriculture, and find food truth.
Did you know that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” are increasingly being added to U.S. pesticide products, contaminating waterways and posing threats to human health? join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Nathan Donley, Ph.D., Environmental Health Science Director at the Center for Biological Diversity. Donley discusses a recent paper: https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/ehp13954 which describes how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” increasingly end up in widely used pesticides, and the risks these chemicals pose to our environment and public health. Web: https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/ehp13954 and https://biologicaldiversity.org/
Related Websites: https://biologicaldiversity.org/
Did you know that animal abuse takes place on factory farms and slaughterhouses? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Gail A. Eisnitz, Chief Investigator for the Humane Farming Association and author of Out of Sight, An Undercover Investigator’s Fight for Animal Rights and Her Own Survival (Skyhorse Publishing, May 2025). Eisnitz discusses her work and ways we can help improve livestock conditions, and the animal welfare approved label.
Related Websites: www.hfa.org
Did you know that powerful language and imagery are distractions from the reality of industrialized agriculture? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Will Potter, investigative journalist and author of Little Red Barns: Hiding the Truth from Farm to Fable. Potter discusses the connections between factory farms and authoritarianism, and explains how “bearing witness” is an act of both love and defiance. (Part 2 of 2).
Related Websites: https://www.willpotter.com/littleredbarns
Did you know that livestock abuse is widespread on factory farms? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Will Potter, investigative journalist and author of Little Red Bars: Hiding the Truth from Farm to Fable. Potter will discuss “ag-gag” and other legislation designed to hide widespread abuses in industrial livestock operations and protect corporate profits. Potter explores the connections between food, agriculture, climate, social justice and civil rights. (Part 1 of 2)
Related Websites: https://www.willpotter.com/littleredbarns
Did you know that people living in arctic regions have some of the highest body burdens of toxic chemicals? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Pamela Miller, MS, Founder and Executive Director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics and Co-Chair of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN). Miller discusses the unique food system, climate and environmental toxin challenges faced by those living in Alaska and the broader Arctic region.
Related Websites: www.akaction
Did you know that oysters are not only popular items at seafood festivals, but vital to the health of our estuaries? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Sandra Brooke, Ph.D., research faculty at Florida State University’s Coastal and Marine Laboratory and scientific director and lead investigator of the Apalachicola Bay System Initiative. Brooke has worked on deep-water coral ecosystems in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, Norwegian Fjords, South Atlantic Bight and the Gulf of Mexico, including assessing damage following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She’ll discuss the ecosystem services provided by oysters, oyster shell recycling, oyster farming, and why and how oyster reefs are threatened, and can be restored.
Related Websites: https://marinelab.fsu.edu/
Did you know that consolidation in the fertilizer industry results in environmental harm and less choice for farmers? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Basel Musharbash, antitrust and trade regulation lawyer, and author of Kings Over the Necessaries of Life: Monopolization and the Elimination of Competition in America’s Agriculture System. Musharbash discusses how consolidation in food and agriculture affects farmers, consumers and the well-being of rural communities with a unique and surprising focus on fertilizer.
Did you know that consolidation in our food and agriculture systems has more to do with the price of eggs than bird flu? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Basel Musharbash, antitrust and trade regulation lawyer, and author of Kings Over the Necessaries of Life: Monopolization and the Elimination of Competition in America’s Agriculture System. Musharbash discusses the real reasons why egg prices escalated, and the larger impact of consolidation in our food system. (Part 1 of 2)
Did you know that some food dyes can have a negative influence children’s behavior? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Peter Lurie, MD, MPH, President and Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a non-profit food and health watchdog organization based in Washington, DC. Lurie discusses the workings of the FDA, RFK’s position on food dyes, the EU’s policy on food dyes, cuts to FDA and NIH grants, and ways to advocate for smart food and health policies.
Related Websites: CSPI: www.cspinet.org
Chemical Cuisine: https://www.cspinet.org/page/chemical-cuisine-food-additive-safety-ratings
NIH Grants termination: https://www.cspinet.org/case/nih-grants-termination
Did you know that Roundup for residential /consumer use has been re-formulated to replace glyphosate with even more harmful chemicals? Join Food Sleuth Radio host and Registered Dietitian, Melinda Hemmelgarn for her conversation with Kendra Klein, PhD., Deputy Director of Science at Friends of the Earth. Klein describes new formulations, health risks of herbicides and misconceptions about “regenerative” and no-till agriculture.
Related Websites: www.foe.org
New Roundup, New Risks: Bayer’s Controversial Weed Killer is More Toxic than Ever:
https://foe.org/resources/new-roundup-new-risks/
Organic for All: https://foe.org/organic-for-all/
Rethinking No-till: https://foe.org/resources/rethinking-no-till/
Due to the nature of the event, all registrations are final and non-refundable. We appreciate your understanding.
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