Saying there is a thing called “better meat” suggests that there is something that is of lesser quality or worse, right? Or even that there might be a “best” meat.

Of course, this is all subjective. But what makes meat good or bad? We all have preferences and price expectations, monetary constraints and values that govern our decision making. We often try to choose what is in our best interest, but we also have to choose trade offs, which are based on some of these microeconomic factors.

We could argue all day every day about what is better, but there will always be tradeoffs that produce different outcomes. Then the question becomes…what outcomes do we desire? In our personal lives and in society. What percentage of those outcomes can we really control? And no matter what we decide…we must always consider, cui bono? Who benefits?

We can assume the answer to that, but we still have to eat. Many of us want to eat better food and what "better" means to each of us might be different, but maybe we can find common ground and quit lumping all meat into a good or bad category.

Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love! Happy Belly Year!

In this episode, we're talking about antibiotic resistance (and a host of other fascinating and entertaining things) with a frequent, and one of my favorite guests, Dr. Tanei Ricks.

If you are a science fan like me, or you're wondering why antibiotics are in our food, water and soil, or why our bodies are resisting them (and ultimately creating "super bugs" that set out to kill us) then you'll love listening to this episode. :)

P.S. We are all grown folk, but I figure I should warn you. There's a cuss word or two in here and the episode is a little long, but it's fun and informative so I hope you enjoy it!

In this episode, I'm talking about demystifying good meat with Camas Davis, the founder of the Good Meat Project, published author of her memoir, Killing It and also the founder of the Portland Meat Collective.

If you're someone who wants to know where their meat comes from, and you need a little clarity about buying meat in bulk (like buying herdshares) then this is the episode for you!

Camas and I sit down in my farm truck and talk about the benefits of buying good meat in bulk, from local farmers and ranchers, what to do with it, how to cook and store what you get, and we talk about the real cost per pound and how buying direct from producers helps your local economy.

Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love.

Chow!

In this episode, we're talking about seeds. Yeah, the little things we (meaning farmers) use to grow the entirety of our food supply.

Seeds are interesting because seed genetics contain information that helps the plants thrive, produce fruit and even more seeds. However, thanks to corporate consolidation, seeds have become a commodity, ripe for manipulation, control and economic gain...but for whom?

We all know "whom"...but seeds are also intrinsically connected to family legacies, food sovereignty, food history and culture.

So, what happens to all that when more than 70% of the global seed market is controlled by just 10 corporations?

Listen and find out. Thanks for sharing this episode with someone you love!

We've all heard, "The canary in the coal mine", right?

The canary in the coal mine idiom refers to an early warning sign that danger is afoot. In this sense, the canary may or may not be dead but it has definitely left the building. We’ve been warned and danger is ahead.

If we stay in the coal mine (meaning, if we keep doing what we’re doing), there’s a higher likelihood we won’t make it out or endure what the CEO of Chase JP Morgan warned us about last week, what he called an "economic hurricane".

Whether that sounds ominous to you or not, the reality is, we should all be preparing for the worst. Not just preparing for continuing food shortages, but preparing for much, much more that is already on the horizon.

That said…I hope you are motivated to take action, and thanks for listening to this episode and (definitely) sharing it with the people you love.

Call it a coincidence or call it intentional. The choice is yours, but the facts are the facts. In less than 18 months, 30 food production facilities (including manufacturers, distributors and food banks) have been impacted by fire.

Why?

That's the question. There's inflation, bird flu, global events, and more debt at our doorstep...what's to worry about? World leaders would like us to just turn the other way, "nothing to see here" and would rather keep us distracted by erroneous social events. It's all a conspiracy, they say. Maybe they're right?

Maybe not. You decide. And thanks for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love.

(To access the list of articles referenced in this episode, visit https://foodslain.com.)

So many stories about vegans behaving badly are emerging. There have been several very high profile vegans that have been caught stealing, manipulating their followers and flat out lying to investors and people all over the world while promoting a so-called "healthy lifestyle".

People like Belle Gibson, The Vegan Teacher on TikTok and Sarma Melngailis have been caught up in scandals, have made a lot of bad decisions, and have turned their backs on the people who supported them, exposing deep hypocrisy, theft and deception.

I used to be a "vegan", worked as an Executive Raw Food Chef back in the early 2000's and even wrote a book about raw food. I eventually realized veganism wasn't the nutritionally ideal diet for me. But this episode isn't about me.

It's a kind of sad story of vegan influencers that makes me questions the moral high ground that many vegans stand on. Because, if not eating meat helps you live (supposedly) healthier and more "pure" life, why are vegans behaving so badly? T'is a pickle.

Thanks for listening and sharing this episode with someone you love.

Inflation. It can be complicated for all of us. We have to navigate through rising prices and the declining value of the dollar, simultaneously. And the outcomes can be serious.

The reality is, we are in an inflationary cycle right now. Global food prices are up 47%* and here in the U.S., food prices are up 7.4%** within the past 12 months, with some foods increasing in price by double digit percentages. It's crazy.

But, why?

Well, part of the reason is debt. The increase in Federal interest rates just went up and the other part of the reason is the dollar just doesn't buy as much as it used to. Oh, and let's not forget...food distribution and supply chains are impacted by high fuel costs, and fertilizers have doubled or tripled in price, making the production of food for farmers even more expensive.

Inflationary cycles happen in debt based economies, but the last time we were facing this kind of "across the board" inflation was 40 years ago in 1982.

There's still hope, and some time before things all fall apart, so make sure to listen in to find out how you can "beef up" your resilience and make a valiant effort at making it through the storm.

Thanks for listening to the Season 8 Finale, and sharing with someone you love.

WARNING : There may be parts of this episode that are upsetting to some of you...

*UN Global Food Price Index

**U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics