Rick Barrett at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has written a series of articles under the heading “Dairyland in Distress.”  

1. Chapter One: “Dairy farmers are in crisis — and it could change Wisconsin forever”
2. Chapter Two: “‘Struggling to tread water’: Dairy farmers are caught in an economic system with no winning formula”
3. Chapter Three: “Americans love soda, fancy water and fake milk. Can the dairy industry keep up?”
4. Chapter Four: “Wisconsin farmers helped the world get hooked on dairy, but those customers are becoming competitors”

The articles come with data: The changing market for dairy in 7 charts

These explain the enormous increase in world milk production and its effects on Wisconsin farmers.  The supply is so great that farmers cannot sell their milk at a price high enough to break even.

The answer, of course, is production controls but good luck with that in today’s agricultural politics environment.

USDA policies include incentives for increasing production; they work well for doing precisely that.

Rescuing small and mid-size dairies requires political will and willingness to pay the real costs of milk production.

Otherwise, we will be getting our milk from the cheapest possible sources, and that does not bode well for quality or public health.

This one was sent to me by a reader who wishes to remain anonymous (thanks!).

The Study: Dairy Fat Consumption and the Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: An Examination of the Saturated Fatty Acids in Dairy.  Allison L. Unger,Moises Torres-Gonzalez, and Jana Kraft.  Nutrients 2019, 11(9), 2200; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11092200

The review argues: “it is likely that the diverse array of SFA [saturated fatty acid] constituents within full-fat dairy foods contributes to favorably modulating cardiometabolic health.”

It concludes: “In summary, previous work on the impact of dairy-derived SFA consumption on disease risk suggests that there is currently insufficient evidence to support current dietary guidelines which consolidate all dietary SFA into a single group of nutrients whose consumption should be reduced, regardless of dietary source, food matrix, and composition.”

Funding and Conflicted Interests (my emphasis): “The work involved for this manuscript was funded by National Dairy Council….M.T.-G. is employee of National Dairy Council. J.K. has received research funding from National Dairy Council.

Comment: This purpose of this dairy-funded review is to demonstrate that contrary to contradictory information, the saturated fatty acids in dairy foods are not only benign, but beneficial. The dairy industry would love that to be true.

This particular sponsored review is exceptionally well organized and illustrated.  I especially appreciated the timeline of dietary recommendations for saturated fat from 1977 to the present.  This is the bottom half:

This is a classic industry-funded review arriving at the desired conclusions.  In essence, it is a dairy industry advertisement and should be understood as such.

Why do this?  The dairy industry is in serious economic trouble these days, as I will discuss tomorrow.

This book was especially interesting to me because I know some of the players and reading it told me a lot about their backgrounds and accomplishments.  It deals with several New York City-based organizations, among them United Bronx Parents, the Park Slope Food Coop, God’s Love We Deliver, and, most prominently, the Community Food Resource Center.

Lana Dee Povitz.  Stirrings: How Activist New Yorkers Ignited a Movement for Food Justice.  University of North Carolina Press, 2019. 

I wrote a blurb for this one.

Stirrings uses the political history of food advocacy organizations in New York City to explain why such groups focus almost exclusively on feeding hungry people rather than on addressing the root cause of that hunger–poverty.  The lessons taught by this history make this book essential reading for anyone interested in ending hunger in America.

And here is a brief paragraph from the Introduction (p. 7):

Aside from its material value as a commodity essential to human life, food acts as a lens through which we can understand dominant social values.  How and by whom food is produced, which foods are government-subsidized, who is deemed eligible for food assistance, who becomes the gatekeepers for providing that food—such arrangements speak volumes about who and what is prioritized, especially by those with decision-making power.  By extension, the history of food activism is important because it tracks how these priorities might be rearranged, how people can work to challenge or temporarily overturn established hierarchies, especially of class and race.  Just as often, the history of food activism sheds light on how inequalities and hierarchies are preserved, defended, and even extended.

I’ve been collecting items related to plant-based meat and dairy foods from the various newsletters I read.  I am having a hard time keeping up.  This is a super-hot topic with investors pouring money into these products.

Things are moving so quickly that Food Dive has established a plant-protein tracker to help readers keep up.

Even a quick scan of just the titles of these articles will make clear just how hot this area is.

Let’s start with the in-fighting.

• Impossible Foods CEO: Plant-based competitors ‘suck’ and stifle industry growth: Pat Brown, who started the California company eight years ago, said other offerings in the market only serve to reinforce the idea that faux meat options “are terrible.”

Here’s what he’s talking about.  I’ll bet they don’t agree.

• Nestlé’s Awesome Burger debuts in crowded plant-based meat space: Sweet Earth founders Kelly and Brian Swette discuss their relationship with the Swiss food giant, the creation of the product and why it will beat its competitors.
• Chickpeas: The next big protein source for plant-based meat? Nutriati unveils TVP:  Virginia-based Nutriati has commercialized what it claims is the world’s first textured chickpea protein, providing plant-based meat formulators with a Non-GMO protein source that rivals soy, wheat, and peas in the functionality and nutrition stakes, and could also simplify ingredients lists by removing the need to add methyl cellulose… Read 
• Ripple Foods launches ‘superfood’ milks, relaunches yogurts (‘we messed up’), explores new low-cost plant protein sources: Ripple Foods has debuted a new, improved line of creamy plant-based yogurt alternatives (following an abortive launch of a Greek-style product last year); unveiled a new line of ‘superfood’ plant milks infused with matcha, turmeric and acai; and built some IP around the extraction of protein from ‘secondary’ feedstocks such as sunflower meal… Read 
• What’s next beyond soy, pea, and wheat for plant-based meat? In conversation with ADM:  Soy, wheat, and peas currently dominate the plant-based meat market, but what’s next? FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Ana Ferrell (AF), VP of marketing, and Kurt Long (KL), commercial director of protein specialties and flexitarian solutions at ADM, to talk plant proteins… Read  
• Parabel USA unveils neutral-tasting, beige-colored protein hydrolysate from water lentils:  Parabel USA – best known for its green-hued ingredients from the ‘water lentil,’ a micro aquatic plant also known as duckweed/Lemna/Lemnaceae – has unveiled a neutral-tasting, beige-colored protein hydrolysate suitable for a wide range of applications from plant-based burgers to sports nutrition products… Read  
• Conagra Brands talks plant-based meat: ‘In 7-10 years we’re talking about a $30bn opportunity in the US’  Gardein has quadrupled in size over the past four years and is now the second largest brand in the meat-alternative space behind Morningstar with annual retail and foodservice sales topping $170m. And there is still a significant opportunity to grow in both channels, says brand owner Conagra Brands… Read  
• Atlantic Natural Foods: Shelf-stable is area of untapped opportunity for plant-based meat, poultry, seafood:  While the shelf-stable market for plant-based meats and eggs is small compared with the frozen and chilled segments, it represents an area of significant untapped opportunity, says Atlantic Natural Foods (ANF), which is gaining traction in this market with its Loma Linda and neat brands… Read  
• PowerPlant Ventures partner: ‘The plant-based milk market didn’t take off until they solved the taste issue; the same applies to plant-based meat’  Insect protein remains frustratingly niche, and cell-cultured meat – while groundbreaking – could be a tough sell. But plant-based meat is something mainstream consumers can understand and embrace, provided products truly deliver on taste and price, argues a co-founder of PowerPlant Ventures… Read  
• The ‘clean taste and smooth texture of almond protein are unparalleled in the protein space,’ says Blue Diamond:  Plant-based protein is a hot ingredient in the food industry right now, as formulators experiment with everything from mung beans to sacha inchi. But how does almond protein square up vs the competition?.. Read  
• Vegan start-up takes on mozzarella, parmesan and brie: ‘It’s all about the classics’:  Israeli food tech start-up Goodfoods is developing dairy-free alternatives to classic cheeses based on cashew nuts. It is ‘dairy reinvented’, founder Michal Peleg tells FoodNavigator… Read  
• MycoTechnology unveils texturized fermented vegetable protein for plant based meat applications:  >As the race to expand protein options for plant-based meats heats up, Colorado-based MycoTechnology has thrown its hat into the ring with a texturized version of PureTaste, a vegetable protein produced via the fermentation of pea and rice proteins with Shiitake mushroom mycelium (roots)… Read
• Tyson expands presence in plant-based sector with New Wave Foods investment: US processor Tyson Foods has completed an investment in plant-based shellfish business New Wave Foods… Read
• Tyson Foods launches plant-based range:  US processor Tyson Foods has launched its first range of plant-based and blended products… Read
• Hormel Foods unveils plant-based range: Hormel Foods has become the latest producer to enter the plant-based meat alternatives market with the launch of the Happy Little Plant brand… Read
• Plant-based and cell-based investment skyrockets: Investment in plant-based and cell-based meat alternative companies has grown significantly in the past two years, new research has shown… Read
• Cargill increases investment in pea protein business: US food giant Cargill has invested $75m in pea protein producer Puris to help it double capacity at its Minnesota site… Read
• Smithfield Foods enters plant-based market with Pure Farmland range: Smithfield Foods has thrown its hat into the US plant-based ring with the launch of a new soy-based portfolio… Read
• Thurston Butchers becomes the first in the UK to sell plant-based meat: Thurston Butchers in Suffolk has partnered with THIS to become the first UK butcher to sell plant-based meat alternatives… Read
• US plant-based market now worth $4.5bn: US retail sales of plant-based foods have grown 11% over the past 12 months, according to new data… Read
• Is plant-based reaching saturation? Innovation opportunities in a meat-free market: While certain plant-based categories are booming, others are lacking in innovation. So where do market opportunities in vegan product development lie? FoodNavigator hears from industry experts at Oatly, Bol Foods, and Sainsbury’s… Read

As for what the meat industry thinks of all this…

• Meat industry needs to ‘restore pride’: The meat industry has become a ‘pharmakon’ and needs to communicate its benefits to the public, according to a leading food expert… Read 

And the New York Times’ take on Big Meat’s getting in on this action.

I love the Sugar Association, the chief lobbying group for producers of sugar cane and sugar beets, for its endlessly creative ways of trying to convince that more sugar is good for us. [Note: High Fructose Corn Syrup is represented by a separate group, the Corn Refiners Association, which does much of the same.]

I was sent this account of  sugar-industry speeches at a symposium run by the American Sugar Alliance, another trade group.

What to do about all those pesky “eat less sugar” messages?  According to one public relations speaker,

The fact that sugar comes from a plant is a positive for consumers…The terms “real” and “pure” create positive associations in consumers’ minds…Consumers believe that honey is “the most healthy and natural” of sweeteners and that high-fructose corn syrup is “not real.”

Only 30% think sugar is naturally grown…A key message should be that “sugar comes from a plant—like sugar beets or sugar cane.  It’s grown on a farm and it’s minimally processed.

As always, you can’t make this stuff up.

Friday October 11 was World Obesity Day, which explains why so many groups are issuing reports on obesity prevalence, risks, costs, and prevention strategies.

I wrote about the one from the Trust for America’s Health, The State of Obesity, a few weeks ago.

Here are three more, just in.

1.  The Heavy Burden of Obesity: The Economics of Prevention.

This one was produced by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).  It finds: “Almost one in four people in OECD countries is currently obese. This epidemic has far-reaching consequences for individuals, society and the economy. Using microsimulation modelling, this book analyses the burden of obesity and overweight in 52 countries (including OECD, European Union and G20 countries), showing how overweight reduces life expectancy, increases healthcare costs, decreases workers’ productivity and lowers GDP.”

2.  Time to Solve Childhood Obesity   This is “An Independent Report by the Chief Medical Officer, 2019, Professor Dame Sally Davies in the U.K.  The cover deals with both cause and effect:

3.  State of Childhood Obesity: Helping All Children Grow Up Healthy.  The Robert Wood Johnson produced this one.

Its key findings:

• Obesity rates for youth ages 10 to 17 did not change much from 2016 (15%-16%).
• Racial and ethnic disparities persist as do disparities by income.
• Mississippi had the highest overall youth obesity rate (25.4%); Utah had the lowest (8.7%).

Comment:  Obesity is a global problem, not just one for the U.S.  Plenty of policies exist that could help make healthier food choices easier and less expensive.  But as the Lancet Global Syndemic report so clearly explained, doing something about obesity is hampered by weak (corporate-captured) government, food industry opposition, and weak civil society.  The first two are difficult to do anything about without attention to the third.  The clear need: strengthen civil society.  Let’s get to work on that.

I am a great believer in the value of organic production methods, which avoid the most toxic pesticides and herbicides, are demonstrably better for soil, and produce fewer greenhouse gases.

But I wish the organic industry would try to find a less conflicted, more objective way of conducting studies on organic foods.

The study: Production-related contaminants, pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones in organic and conventionally produced milk samples sold in the USA.  JA Welsh, et al.  Public Health Nutrition.  Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 June 2019. DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1017/S136898001900106X

Conclusions:  “Current-use antibiotics and pesticides were undetectable in organic but prevalent in conventionally produced milk samples, with multiple samples exceeding federal limits. Higher bGH and IGF-1 levels in conventional milk suggest the presence of synthetic growth hormone. Further research is needed to understand the impact of these differences, if any, on consumers.”

Funding: Financial support: Data collection was supported by the Organic Center…. The Organic Center had no role in the design, analysis of samples, or writing of this article.

Conflict of interest: J.A.W.’s investment portfolio includes equity in one of the companies whose milk products were randomly selected for use in this study. All other authors have no perceived or potential conflicts of interest to report.

Comment: Organic standards are about production values.  Antibiotics, toxic pesticides and herbicides, and genetic modification are not allowed in organic production and would not be expected to be detectable in organic milk.  The result reassures that the system is working properly (why wouldn’t it?).  But I wish it had been funded and conducted by investigators with no vested interest in its outcome.  I am aware of the argument that independent funding is not available for studies like this.  That’s a problem that the organic industry needs to solve.

Thanks to Stephanie Laverone for telling me about this study.

The World Resources Institute has issued its final report on Creating a Sustainable Food Future.

The report addresses the central dilemma of our time: how to feed nearly 10 billion people by 2050 without destroying the planet in the process.

The report takes a deep dive into potential solutions:

• Reduce demand
• Increase production
• Protect national ecosystems
• Increase fish supply
• Reduce greenhouse gases produced by agriculture
• Policy options

This report deals with these issues, none of them simple, in more than 550 pages.  It offers no simple solutions.  Dealing with this dilemma will take a great many actions by a great many people, governments, and industry.  The report sets the agenda.  Now it’s our turn.