A 19-year-old male walked into my office with a BMI of 49.5 (obese is > 30) and a diagnosis of fatty liver (NAFLD).  His weight issue began at age 5. Who can blame him?  He ate what he was given, what his mom thought was healthy, and what the schools offered.  This is not the first time I encountered this challenge.  I routinely saw 300-pound … Continue reading We can change our food – Who is with me? by Julie Carlson, MBA, RD, LDN

There are many industries that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and more recently, one of the biggest issues overall has been around supply chain shortages. Labor shortages have also been a major contributing factor to these supply challenges. The food industry and ingredients space has been hit especially hard with these problems and many ingredient companies are having trouble getting their customers the … Continue reading Supply challenges from the perspective of an ingredient supplier by Christine Addington  

Ever wonder how we can receive our online orders so fast? Find out in Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door—Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy. Arriving Today says nothing about food supply chains. Christopher Mims traces the two-month journey of a simple USB charger. It starts out in a factory in Vietnam and appears like magic on our doorstep soon … Continue reading Arriving Today and how our need for speed is tying up supply chains  

Allyship, vaccine, and vax are only some of the words of the year selected for 2021. I nominate supply chain as the two-word phrase of the year. Woes in the supply chain help explain why foods, Christmas gifts, and other essential items don’t get to us on time. Many of us first started hearing about supply chains when we couldn’t get enough toilet paper to … Continue reading Food Routes and how supply chains function in food networks

At the end of another year, I look back to the road I travelled and look forward to the road ahead. Despite the prolonged pandemic, 2021 felt more normal than 2020. I returned to work at the food pantry. My wife and I, vaccinated and boosted, started eating some meals out. We welcomed our first house guests back to visit us. I returned to getting … Continue reading A Processed-Food Year in Review: Looking back and looking ahead

Once the pandemic started with masks and separation by 6 feet, we made a board decision to change our operation from a choice food pantry to drive-thru operation. Key to this decision to change was to abide by the new safety guidelines provide by the Government and the Harry Chapin Food Bank. Our issue was if we found any volunteers that tested positive for COVID … Continue reading Modifying food pantry operations to cope with the COVID pandemic by Biff Staples

Year Up is a job training program that is tuition free and offers access to today’s best companies and a proven path to career success. The idea is for every young adult to be able to reach their full potential. To close the Opportunity Divide by ensuring young adults gain the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through careers … Continue reading Year Up: A program to empower talented youth from inner cities by Andrea Hayward

Last week I presented the view of Andrew Fisher on food banks and pantries. In Big Hunger he calls for a reassessment of how we redistribute food to the poor. He suggests that food pantries and banks need to become smaller, distribute healthier food, and decouple themselves from corporate America. Some of his ideas have merit. I disagree with others. Here is my response to … Continue reading Big Hunger from a different point of view  

Is our approach to feeding the hungry mistaken? Do we need to rethink food pantries and food banks? Is our effort to feed the hungry focusing on the wrong end of the problem? Is hunger in America part of a scam that enriches corporations while keeping the poor down? Andrew Fisher asks these questions in Big Hunger. What makes him the authority on food banks … Continue reading Big Hunger: The Unholy Alliance between Corporate America and Anti-Hunger Groups  

Food continues to dominate our newswaves. I compiled some of the most interesting stories to me. I would love to receive your comments and perspectives. Tufts University developed a scale to rate healthfulness of over 8000 foods (1). I tend to be skeptical of any such scale. They don’t tell us much about individual foods and go by serving size which may or may not … Continue reading Additives, ultra-processed foods, climate change, the pandemic and other food stories