You'll never guess who helped to fund that controversial keep-eating-red-meat study

A highly inflammtory red meat study last fall concluded that sustained red meat consumption would not affect most people's health. And in a not-so-shocking twist, a conflict of interest has been revealed. The study's authors allegedly hit its ties to AgriLife Research, "an arm of Texas A&M University that is partially funded by the beef industry." Read more at The Washington Post…

Impossible Foods' newest product is fake pork

It was only a matter of time before alt meat companies developed a successful pork substitute–after all, it's the most widely consumed type of meat worldwide. Impossible Foods' new Impossible Pork product accordingly takes aim at a broader audience than just sustainability-minded consumers to encompass those who "don't eat pork for religious or ethical reasons" as well. However, the timing of its rollout on grocery store shelves is still undetermined. Read more at Eater…

Starbucks tests out oat milk lattes, cashes in on the craze

Finally, Starbucks is jumping on the oat milk bandwagon in select locations across the Midwest. Research from Marketplace indicates that sales of oat milk leapt from $4.4 million in 2017 to $29 million in 2019, and consumers are pushing for a national rollout of oat milk at the popular coffee chain. Read more at Business Insider…

The largest single beneficiary of Trump's tariff payments? A high-interest 'alternative' farm lender

While the Trump administration has given billions to American farmers to offset trade war losses, one lightly regulated alternative farm lender has reportedly received more trade mitigation money than anyone anticipated. Agrifund LLC has obtained roughly $75 million in government payments after being assigned them by farmers eligible for those payments, showing just how desperate U.S. farmers are becoming to stay in operation. Read more at New Food Economy…

What it takes to keep independent grocery stores open in rural communities

Independent grocery stores are more important than ever for rural communities that don't want to rely on Dollar Store fare for their everyday meals. For one troubled store, this meant that the town's residents had to come together to form a corporation that then sold the store's shares at $100 each. Read more at Civil Eats…