The hottest Food policy Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top U.S. Politics Topics

How Experts Created a Peanut Allergy Epidemic

The Take (by Jon Miltimore) • 356 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
🏥 Health Politics Food policy
  1. Experts once recommended avoiding peanuts during pregnancy and for young children. This led to a big increase in peanut allergies.
  2. Initially, there was no strong evidence for the peanut avoidance advice, which caused more harm than good.
  3. Now, it's suggested that introducing peanuts early can actually help prevent allergies, showing that previous guidelines were misguided.

Butter Is Not Back: The Broken Promise on Saturated Fats

Unsettled Science • 2107 implied HN points • 06 Jan 26
🏥 Health Politics Food policy
  1. Despite months of promises to stop demonizing saturated fat, the updated U.S. Dietary Guidelines still keep a 10% cap on saturated fat.
  2. Keeping that cap makes the new guidelines internally contradictory and undermines the earlier pledge to change course.
  3. The release was delayed, the final guidelines are much shorter (about eight pages) than past editions, and they will be unveiled at an invite-only HHS event.

In Defense of Processed Foods

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 500 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
🍲 Food & Drink Food policy
  1. Processed foods, including ultra-processed ones, are not necessarily as harmful as many people claim.
  2. Industrial food processing has greatly expanded food access and safety and has reshaped public health for the better.
  3. Totally purging processed foods or chasing a strict "eat clean" ideal won’t magically solve diet problems and can leave people worse off; some processed items (like canned pumpkin) are simply practical and useful.

Do subsidies make meat much cheaper?

Sustainability by numbers • 273 implied HN points • 09 Feb 26
🍲 Food & Drink Food policy
  1. Direct subsidies make meat and dairy only a little cheaper at the shelf — typically cents to a few tens of cents per kilogram, which translates to small percentage changes that don’t close the price gap with meat substitutes.
  2. Much of the support is decoupled or absorbed into land rents and farmer incomes, so cutting subsidies would lead to some farm exits and small production drops but only modest retail price rises.
  3. The effective route to shift diets is cheaper alternatives: lowering the cost of meat substitutes (or reallocating support to them) matters far more than simply removing meat subsidies.

Call for Pitches: ‘The Influencers’

Vittles • 136 implied HN points • 23 Dec 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food policy
  1. A print magazine is commissioning an issue called “The Influencers” that explores how economic, sociopolitical, cultural and interpersonal forces — from algorithms and influencers to trade deals and corporations — shape what we produce, buy and eat.
  2. They want original, tightly argued work across forms (reported features, essays, interviews, data visualisations and shorter dispatches) on topics like the economics and aesthetics of influencing, product R&D, trade, climate and small‑scale local power.
  3. Pitches are due by Jan 9 and should be sent by email; the publication pays set rates (for example around £800 for a 2,000–2,500 word reported piece, ~£600 for 1,500–2,000 word opinion pieces, or roughly 40p/word for shorter pieces) and aims to reply by early February.
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@adlrocha - The Efficiency Trap of the Food Supply Chain

@adlrocha Weekly Newsletter • 129 implied HN points • 21 Dec 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food policy
  1. The food supply chain is critically important but built for maximum efficiency, so features like just-in-time inventory, long refrigerated transport, and minimal buffers make it brittle and prone to cascading failures.
  2. Extreme consolidation and geographic specialization concentrate risk in a few companies and regions, creating single points of failure that can shut down large parts of the global food system.
  3. Fixing it requires re-aligning incentives toward resilience. Building regional processing hubs, strategic reserves, and crop/supplier diversity will cost more but reduce the chance of catastrophic shortages.

Reiner Fuellmich, Therapeutic Choice and the Price of Speech

Who is Robert Malone • 21 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
🏥 Health Politics Food policy
  1. Supporters say Reiner Fuellmich was detained not for routine financial wrongdoing but because he challenged pandemic policies and defended therapeutic choice, and they view his communication limits as political persecution.
  2. Therapeutic choice is tied to free speech: if doctors cannot speak openly about observations, risks, or alternative treatments, patients cannot make real informed decisions.
  3. The case has become a symbol for a broader movement (MAHA/MEHA) that links prevention, metabolic health, and protection of dissenting speech as essential to resilient public health and democracy.

A year of wins for farmed animals

Open Philanthropy farm animal welfare research newsletter • 859 implied HN points • 14 Dec 23
🌍 World Politics Food policy
  1. Advocates for farmed animals achieved major wins in 2023, such as eliminating cages for hens and broiler chickens globally.
  2. Corporate pledges to go cage-free have seen significant implementation rates, resulting in millions of animals being freed from cages.
  3. Policy advancements include the world's first state plan for plant-based eating, increased support for alternative proteins, and improved welfare standards for various animals.

Meatball Ron

Going Awol • 259 implied HN points • 03 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Food policy
  1. Ron DeSantis supports banning lab-grown meat in Florida based on the idea that consumers need real meat and not fake alternatives.
  2. The ban on lab-grown meat in Florida is not solely about meat consumption but also about protection and upholding traditional practices.
  3. Prohibiting lab-grown meat may not be effective in meeting the demand for alternative products, and it could be wiser to let market forces influence consumer choices.

How to Survive a Government That Wants to Sacrifice You for Profit

OK Doomer • 141 implied HN points • 30 Jun 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Food policy
  1. Food safety has become a serious issue due to job cuts at the FDA and CDC, which means fewer inspections and oversight. This makes it harder to ensure the safety of the food we eat.
  2. Reports show that foodborne illnesses and related hospitalizations have drastically increased, highlighting the critical impact of these cuts. This situation suggests that our health might not be a priority for the government.
  3. It's important for individuals to be aware of these changes and take steps to protect themselves from food contamination and related health risks.

198 | Seed Oils: Unsafe or Not? | STEC in flour |

The Rotten Apple • 42 implied HN points • 21 Jul 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food policy
  1. Seed oils are being criticized a lot lately, but the science doesn't strongly support these fears. They're actually common and safe in moderation.
  2. Food fraud is a real issue, where bad ingredients like sand can end up in products like sugar. This can cause big problems for companies.
  3. There's a risk of harmful bacteria, like STEC, in flour. It's important to be careful with raw flour products to avoid foodborne illnesses.

The Food Is Poison, The Lobbyists Know It

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 24 implied HN points • 11 Jul 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food policy
  1. Many foods we eat today are ultra-processed and full of harmful chemicals. These foods can make us sick rather than healthy.
  2. Ultra-processed foods can be addictive, similar to drugs, which makes it hard for people to stop eating them. They change how our brain works and influence our eating habits.
  3. The food industry and health system are connected in ways that may prioritize profit over our well-being. This often leaves people confused and unhealthy.

169 | What Changed in Food Safety in 2024 |

The Rotten Apple • 21 implied HN points • 16 Dec 24
🍲 Food & Drink Food policy
  1. Ultra-processed foods are becoming a food safety issue, not just a nutrition problem. More research shows they can lead to overeating and health issues.
  2. Food allergy awareness has improved, but there are still too many labeling mistakes that can have serious consequences. Professionals are now being held accountable for allergic reactions.
  3. Regulations in food safety are changing, especially around allergens and how we measure food safety culture. This could lead to stricter rules in the future.

Food Safety News and Resources | August

The Rotten Apple • 0 implied HN points • 04 Aug 25
🍲 Food & Drink Food policy
  1. A school in India had its water supply poisoned, making several children sick after they drank contaminated water. This incident happened due to a malicious act aimed at harming the school’s headmaster.
  2. In the UK, an infant got botulism from peanut butter that contained harmful bacteria. Tests showed the bacteria in the peanut butter matched those found in the sick baby, highlighting food safety risks.
  3. A child in the US developed a serious illness after being exposed to a dog that ate contaminated pet food. The pet food had dangerous bacteria, and the company refused to recall it despite evidence of contamination.