Cannabinoid (CBD, THC, psychedelics) and other edibles are now widely available—in stores on every block near where I live in Manhattan. legal and not.  Much remains to be learned about the products.  One thing for sure: keep them away from kids and pets (use them to treat pets at your risk). THE [PURPORTED] BENEFITS CBD […] The post Edibles: a roundup of items appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle ..read more

Politics, as they say, makes strange bedfellows and I cannot get my head around the MAHA hearings last week. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., has posted a video of the health and nutrition roundtable he held Monday with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the former presidential candidate now supporting former President Trump, and others including Vani Hari, […] The post Make America Healthy Again (MAHA): Strange Bedfellows Indeed appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle ..read more

PCAST, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, has released its REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT A Vision for Advancing Nutrition Science in the United States. I learned about the report from a Tweet (X):  I wrote about an earlier draft of the report in a previous post: The federal vision for chronic disease prevention: […] The post The PCAST report: a timid step forward appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle ..read more

I read about this one in NutraIngredients.  To its credit, it identified the funder right in the headline: Krill oil may boost skin health measures, say two new RCTs from Aker BioMarine: Krill oil supplementation may strengthen skin barrier function and improves hydration and elasticity of the skin in healthy adults, according to data from […] The post Industry-funded study of the week: Krill oil appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle ..read more

James Merchant and Robert Martin, eds. Public Health Impacts of Industrial Farm Animal Production.  Johns Hopkins University Press, 2024. I served on the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production with both authors about 15 years ago and was happy to do a blurb for their book. This hard-hitting book defies meat industry pressure and […] The post Weekend reading: Industrial farm animal production appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle ..read more

Cell-culture isn’t just for beef anymore.  I’ve been collecting items… FOIE GRAS:  ProVeg hails application for EU approval of cultivated foie gras: French company seeks approval for product made from cultivated duck cells. EEL:  Cultivated eel that ‘melts in your mouth’? How Forsea mimics ‘tender, succulent’ texture of fish and seafood:  Eel meat is unlike any […] The post The brave new world of cell-cultured—not just meat appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle ..read more

I first read about this in a daily newsletter I subscribe to, Bakery and Snacks:   The Doritos effect: How tartrazine turns tissues temporarily transparent. When a study draws parallels with H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man, you know it’s bound to be captivating. Could this scientific leap bring us closer to achieving a real-life version of […] The post Brave new world: Tartrazine (an FDA-approved food color) makes mice transparent appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle ..read more

Here’s how I learned about this one: Unilever, Nestlé and Coca-Cola villainised for government scientist ties.  Mondelēz International, Tate & Lyle, Pepsico and a host of other global food and drink manufacturing majors face fresh scrutiny over their links to government-advising scientists…. Read more Villainized?  Isn’t this just business as usual? Not exactly.  An analysis in […] The post UK nutrition experts have many ties to food companies: conflicted interests, anyone? appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle ..read more

Two readers, Tara Kenny and Martin Caraher, sent this one:  Plant-based diets–impacts of consumption of little or no animal-source foods on human health.  by Alice V. Stanton  Front. Nutr., 17 September 2024. Volume 11 – 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1423925 The paper argues for the benefits of meat-based diets: The protections provided by plant-based diets against NCDs [non-communicable […] The post Industry-funded opinion of the week: Against the benefits of plant-based diets appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle ..read more

I’m late in getting to this but do not want you to miss it.  It’s a really important story. PFAS, Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are synthesized chemicals resistant to water, grease, and heat, ubiquitous in consumer products, and widely dispersed in nature and in our bodies. Their health effects are alarming: they are endocrine disruptors […] The post PFAS in farmland: the next environmental frontier appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle ..read more