Factory Farming

At one time, small family farms provided most of the food eaten in the United States — and many of the livelihoods in communities across the nation. People knew where their food came from and how it was produced, and the profits mostly remained and circulated locally. These days, small family farms are in trouble. In this first article on family farms, we’ll take a look at the forces that threaten their existence and why their increasing loss is such a calamity for the food system.

There’s a food shortage going on that’s unlike anything we’ve seen in the last 40 years. Billions of people around the world are now chronically hungry, and tens of millions may face imminent famine and starvation. So what’s going on that’s different from years past? And what, if anything, can we do as individuals to begin to make a difference?

Monocropping — the growing of a single crop over and over on the same piece of land — was invented to increase the food supply and combat hunger. Unfortunately, its unintended consequences threaten greater global food insecurity and worsen climate change. In this article, we'll explore monocropping pros and cons (spoiler alert: more cons than pros) and look at alternative growing methods that you can support.

GMOs — or genetically modified organisms — are a lightning-rod issue. For some, GMO crops represent the height of human ingenuity, and anyone who says otherwise is a science denier. For others, GMOs represent an unprecedented and irreversible experiment on the entirety of life on earth, as we place the power to create life into the hands of transnational corporations whose agenda is monopolistic control of the global food supply. But what is a GMO, where are they found, and how concerned should you be?

Food and climate change: Which foods are the most damaging to the planet? And which foods could help save it? Check out the current state of climate change and see what research says about the impact of certain foods.

Many omnivores cite bacon as the reason they’ll never stop eating meat (or even cut down a bit). But with plant-based bacon alternatives getting better and better, even bacon-lovers may find themselves inching toward healthier, more ethical, and more sustainable diets. In this article, we look at vegan bacon - why it’s superior, how to make it, and how to enjoy it.

New viral pandemics are just one of the many public health crises linked to factory farming. In this article, discover how factory farms contribute to antibiotic resistance, pollution, animal cruelty, foodborne pathogens, and other illnesses — making them a danger to both animals and humans alike.

Beef burgers, veggie burgers, and now… lab-grown meat? You may have heard rumblings that cultured meat — made from animal stem cells — may become a mainstream consumer option soon. Is it true? And if so, is it a good thing? What is lab-grown food? And should we be preparing for it to change the food system as we know it?

In this video interview, New Jersey Senator, Cory Booker, sits down with John Robbins for a look at the powerful impact our food choices and food policies have on our health and world. Senator Booker gives his candid take on how our food system got so broken and what we can do as individuals, and as a society, to work toward an end to factory farms, food deserts, climate change, hunger, and extreme poverty. Despite the enormity of the problems we’re all faced with today, this interview will fill you with hope and empower you to take action for a healthier, more equitable, and more compassionate world.

Nobody likes wasting food. But nearly all of us do it. A lot. And this isn’t just about a few spears of broccoli left on your plate after supper. Food waste is a massive problem that threatens our climate, our air and water and soil, and our ability to grow enough food to feed humanity for future generations. And the good news? There’s a lot you can do about it.

Evidence of the link between urinary tract infections and foodborne pathogens has mounted for decades, but you wouldn’t know it from federal policy.

Industrial animal agriculture is a total environmental disaster, polluting local ecosystems and contributing to climate change. While one obvious response is simply to stop eating animals, there’s a growing movement known as “regenerative agriculture” that claims that raising cows can be part of the solution to climate change and other environmental problems. We asked Dr Doug Gurian-Sherman, a leading agricultural scientist, to share the real science with our readers.