The Trump admin just announced an antitrust probe into JBS. But with JBS as a massive campaign donor, is it the real deal? 🥩🤔 Sen. Cory Booker tells the Forked podcast he's praying for accountability but currently sees "no credibility" in the move. Listen here! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM

France's famous Brittany beaches are being overtaken by a green seaweed that releases toxic hydrogen sulphide gas as it rots. 🌊 The media calls it the "killer seaweed," and scientists are calling it a "monster." 🦠 https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-frances-killer-seaweed/

Only 7% of US ag subsidies go to the foods doctors recommend. The result? An explosion in diet-related disease and healthcare costs. 📉🍔 Sen Cory Booker breaks down the broken food system on the new episode of Forked! Listen here: https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM 🎧

Who are the champions of food policy in the Senate? 🏛️ Sen. Cory Booker shouts out his allies Senator Luján and his “bald brother” Senator Warnock for leading the fight for a healthier food system! Listen to the new episode of Forked! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM

Sen. Cory Booker exposes the environmental and health horrors of massive CAFOs and how giant meatpacking corporations are polluting low-income communities. 🐖🏭 “These are awful corporations that need people to stand up to them.” Listen to Forked! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM

The NYT reveals RFK Jr. hasn't moved on from his vaccine skepticism, quietly searching for a 'silver bullet' link to autism. Listen to the full episode: https://youtu.be/s3Rl0mxvFsc

In this episode of Forked: 🔹 The future of MAHA 🔹 SNAP work requirements update 🔹 FERN's James Beard Media Award nods 🏆 Listen here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:https://thefern.org/podcasts/forked/

“The math isn't mathing.” 📉🚜 Massive corporate conglomerates are squeezing small American family farms with high input costs. Are we facing another 1980s farm crisis? Sen. Cory Booker discusses the solution on the new episode of Forked! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM

A $250M indoor farm in Florida uses AI & 10k sensors to raise Atlantic Salmon. Result: Zero antibiotics & 3x the Omega-3s. But out-engineering nature is pricey. Would YOU eat land-grown salmon? 👇

“Her doctor called it a miracle cure. It's not a miracle... It's access to fresh, healthy foods.” 🥦 Sen. Cory Booker shares how urban farms in Newark helped residents reverse chronic diseases. Listen to the new episode of Forked out now! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM

“Hope is the active conviction that despair is not gonna have the last word.” Sen. Cory Booker draws inspiration from the Civil Rights movement as a new grassroots coalition fights for a better food system. ✊ Listen to the new Forked podcast! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM

By moving salmon farming to land-based facilities, Atlantic Sapphire is tackling disease, escapes, and sea-lice head-on. Is land-based aquaculture the key to saving native marine species? 🐟 https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-south-florida-salmon/

Is the USDA opening a Red Lobster? 🦞🇺🇸 Behind the "boiled lobster" USDA website imagery is a serious mission: treating American fishermen like farmers to secure our domestic food supply. Full episode: https://youtu.be/ACBGHCMtZDU

Huge news! 🎙️ Senator Cory Booker joined us on the latest episode of Forked. Helena and Theodore dive into: The future of the Farm Bill 🚜 The Dem’s strategy on food policy 🏛️ Winning back the plate from the GOP before the midterms 🗳️ Listen now: https://thefern.org/podcasts/forked/

MAHA REVOLT INITIATE ✅ We decode the all-caps tweet from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna that has D.C. on edge. It’s a digital power play: MAHA advocates successfully pressured Congress to strip pesticide rules from the Farm Bill. Full episode: https://youtu.be/ACBGHCMtZDU

“You make me feel like Bruce Springsteen in New Jersey!” 🎸😂 Sen. Cory Booker joins Theodore & Helena to discuss the MAHA movement and why food policy is finally going mainstream. Listen to the brand new episode of the Forked podcast! 🎧 https://youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM

A full-blown MAHA revolt is hitting the Farm Bill. At stake: "preemption" clauses blocking state pesticide warnings and animal welfare laws like CA's Prop 12. A massive states' rights vs. federal showdown. Full episode of Forked here: https://youtu.be/ACBGHCMtZDU States or Feds? 🗳️

🏆 Big News: FERN is a finalist for SEVEN James Beard Awards! From farmworker rights to food system investigations, we’re so proud of the work our team has put in this year. Congrats to all! https://thefern.org/blog_posts/editors-desk-fern-is-a-finalist-for-seven-james-beard-awards/

The "tortilla press" has one job... or does it? 🧐 Lately, the culinary world has been reimagining this century-old tool for things the inventors never dreamed of: chicken cutlets, beef carpaccio, even seafood. https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-meet-the-press/

Is the future of fish... indoors? 🐟🏠 Global aquaculture is on the verge of a massive shift toward "bluehouses," but the high price tag remains a barrier to entry. 📈 #Aquaculture #Tech #ClimateChange #FoodNews https://thefern.org/2026/05/salmon-farms-on-land-take-aim-at-a-19-billion-industry/

Democrats are furious over massive SNAP cuts made via reconciliation, bypassing the usual bipartisan process. Without nutrition funding, the incentive to support "Big Ag" subsidies has vanished. Full Forked episode here: https://youtu.be/ACBGHCMtZDU Split the bill or save the coalition? 🗳️

Is the MAHA movement a real power player in D.C.? 🏛️ Helena Bottemiller Evich says yes. In just 18 months, they’ve stalled the Farm Bill and blocked pesticide provisions. They are officially "punching above their weight." Full episode of Forked here: https://youtu.be/ACBGHCMtZDU

Theodore and Helena discuss the legal stakes and the potential for a political revolt in the food safety space. 🏛️🥕 #News #Politics #MAHA #SCOTUS Subscribe to Forked wherever you get your podcasts: https://thefern.org/podcasts/forked/

The "MAHA moms" are throwing a wrench into the Farm Bill. House leadership is now pivoting. A huge win for a brand-new movement. Full episode: https://youtu.be/ACBGHCMtZDU

“Food noise” wasn’t on the research agenda when weight-loss drugs were being developed. But patients have had a lot to say, and researchers are now playing catch-up. https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-quiet-please/

Is "Secretary Bobby" staying true to his "anti-toxin" roots, or is a rift forming between the wellness base and the administration's broader 2026 agenda? Leah Douglas and Theodore Ross break it all down in the latest episode of the Forked podcast. 🍎 Watch here: https://youtu.be/-5GZFDvQ6Zw

New episode of Unconfined: journalist Ted Genoways tells the unlikely story of how some of the world’s most vulnerable people took on a giant meatpacking company in Greeley, Colorado. clf.jhsph.edu/unconfined-p...

New episode of @livablefuture.bsky.social‬ Unconfined podcast up! I interview the great journalist Ted Genoways on how some of the world's most vulnerable people stood up to global meatpacking goliath JBS at a beef plant in Greeley, Colo. clf.jhsph.edu/unconfined-p...

Inside the U.S. Supreme Court, justices weigh Monsanto v. Durnell; outside, the "People vs. Poison" rally demands an end to federal regulatory shields that could block thousands of state-level cancer lawsuits.

Here’s the scary part: There is almost ZERO data on how to rebuild soil after a disaster. The media cameras have long since moved on, but recovery is just beginning. Read more: https://thefern.org/

Elliott Woods received the Madeline Dane Ross Award for his profound investigation. Read the full story by FERN and Texas Monthly:https://thefern.org/2025/12/inside-the-deadliest-immigration-related-disaster-in-u-s-history/

“Food has increasingly become a deliberate tool of war. Whether in besieged farming communities in Sudan or in the destruction of grain silos in Ukraine, it is targeted, strategic, and rarely punished.” ⬇️ https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-food-as-a-weapon/

Following an introduction from legendary journalist Frank Sesno, FERN's editor-in-chief Theodore Ross kicked off Forked Live, setting the stage for a critical look at the 2026 food landscape. Watch the full episode of Forked here: https://youtu.be/-5GZFDvQ6Zw

Local political corruption and industrial expansion are supercharging water crises across the U.S. FERN's award-nominated reporting exposes the physical destruction behind the digital future. Support independent reporting on food, water, and the environment: https://thefern.org/donate/ #earthday

From olive oil heists to industrial abuse at sea, climate change is rewriting the rules of our food supply. FERN’s award-winning reporting reaches millions through our partnerships—but we can’t do it without you. 🏅✍️ Support FERN this Earth Day: https://thefern.org/donate/ #earthday #foodsystems

By removing colonial staples like wheat flour, dairy, and cane sugar, James Beard Award-winning chef Sean Sherman (The Sioux Chef) is rediscovering the vibrant, healthy Indigenous food systems that existed long before European arrival. Watch the full episode of Forked: https://youtu.be/-5GZFDvQ6Zw

Industrial expansion and climate change are rewriting the rules of our planet. Don't let the true cost stay in the shadows. Invest in the newsroom that punches far above its weight. Help FERN keep truth on the table. Give now: https://thefern.org/donate/ #earthday #nonprofit #journalism 🌎 🤝

As the "People vs. Poison" rally prepares to take over DC, the political divide is shifting. While the left has long fought glyphosate, it’s now the MAHA-aligned right that feels the Trump administration has sided with Big Ag over public health. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/-5GZFDvQ6Zw

What happens when you get a James-Beard-Award-winning chef together with one of the best food and ag daily reporters out there for a live, in-depth conversation? You get a Forked special episode! Listen here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! https://thefern.org/podcasts/forked/

Reporter Irina Zhorov spent months investigating the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. What she found was a shocking lack of research on how to recover badly damaged soils and get them producing food again. Details here:https://thefern.org/2026/04/what-does-a-farmer-do-when-he-loses-his-soil/

Read the full story, a collaboration with Grist, at https://thefern.org/2026/04/what-does-a-farmer-do-when-he-loses-his-soil/

“Thousands of farmers lost crops, tools, machinery, barns, buildings, animals, and fences. More than a year later, growers are also contending with the loss of something more vital, and more difficult to replace: their soil.” ⬇️ https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-a-dirty-problem/

FERN staff writer Teresa Cotsirilos is stress baking. Why? Because the war in Iran and the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz are sending shockwaves through your local grocery store. While she preps a berry cake, Teresa breaks down the terrifying math of global economics.

We had a great time last night at the live recording of Forked in DC! 🎤🍴🏛️ For those who couldn't make it, stay tuned for the next Forked episode on 4/21. In the meantime, catch up on past episodes of Forked. And subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. https://thefern.org/podcasts/forked/

In 2024, flooding from Hurricane Helene washed away or buried the soil on thousands of farms in southern Appalachia. Turns out, no one really knew how to solve that problem, so the farms have become living laboratories. https://thefern.org/2026/04/what-does-a-farmer-do-when-he-loses-his-soil/

Tomorrow is Forked Live in DC! 🎙️✨ We're excited to welcome Leah Douglas—an award‑winning journalist at Reuters. The event is sold out, but you can catch up via our 4/21 episode. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/forked-podcast-live-taping-gws-planet-forward-summit-registration-1984377443351?aff=gw

Congrats to Elliott Woods for being honored at the Polk awards ceremony last week!

See you in Wed in DC, where we'll be joined by Sean Sherman (aka The Sioux Chef), a powerful voice in Indigenous food systems. The event is sold out but tune in to Forked next week! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/forked-podcast-live-taping-gws-planet-forward-summit-registration-1984377443351?aff=gw

“Across eastern Europe, foraging is a popular activity that allows people to enjoy time in nature. And in Ukraine, considered the breadbasket of Europe, the practice is part of life,” writes Kang-Chun Cheng. ⬇️ https://thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday-feed-foraging-on-the-frontlines/

Steak vs. Pringles: The Science of Satiety 🥩 🍟 We dive deep into the American diet, metabolic health, and how to actually feel full in our most recent episode of Forked here: https://youtu.be/z-weVvp3Pgw