Tag: food

As Israel Openly Declares Starvation as a Weapon, Media Still Hesitate to Blame It for Famine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on March 2 that “Israel has decided to stop letting goods and supplies into Gaza,” where the ongoing Israeli genocide, with the loyal backing of the United States, has officially killed more than 51,000 Palestinians since October 2023. The announcement regarding the total halt of humanitarian aid amounted to yet another explicit declaration of the starvation policy that Israel is pursuing in the Gaza Strip, a territory that—thanks in large part to 17 consecutive years of Israeli blockade—has long been largely dependent on such aid for survival.

Of course, this was not the first time that senior Israeli officials had advertised their reliance on the war crime of forced starvation in the current genocidal assault on Gaza. On October 9, 2023, two days after the most recent launch of hostilities, then–Defense Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip: “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed.” Two days after that, Foreign Minister Israel Katz boasted of cutting off “water, electricity and fuel” to the territory.

And just this month, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir proclaimed that there was “no reason for a gram of food or aid to enter Gaza.” Following an April 22 dinner held in his honor in Florida at US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, Ben-Gvir reported that US Republicans had

expressed support for my very clear position on how to act in Gaza and that the food and aid depots should be bombed in order to create military and political pressure to bring our hostages home safely.

Never mind that the hostages would have been brought home safely as scheduled had Israel chosen to comply with the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas that was implemented in January, rather than definitively annihilating the agreement on March 18. It is no doubt illustrative of Israel’s modus operandi that the March 2 decision to block the entry of all food and other items necessary for human existence took place in the middle of an ostensible ceasefire.

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MAHA Rising: HHS, FDA Announce Phase-Out Of All Artificial Food Dyes

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s quest to “Make America Healthy Again” grew far more substantial on Tuesday, with the announcement that the federal government will eliminate all petroleum-based synthetic food dyes by the end of 2026. The announcement came at a Washington DC news conference, with RFK Jr joined by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya. The podium was flanked by “MAHA Moms” and their children; the moms are a coalition of outspoken advocates of the Trump administration’s health agenda.  

Kennedy framed the move against artificial, petroleum-based dyes using forceful language: 

“For too long, some food producers have been feeding Americans petroleum-based chemicals without their knowledge or consent. These poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children’s health and development. That era is coming to an end. We’re restoring gold-standard science, applying common sense, and beginning to earn back the public’s trust. And we’re doing it by working with industry to get these toxic dyes out of the foods our families eat every day.”

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Synthetic milk from Bored Cow and Perfect Day contains 92 unidentified molecules, including fungicides

In an era where food technology is rapidly advancing, the line between natural and synthetic is becoming increasingly blurred. The recent controversy surrounding Bored Cow’s “synthetic” milk, made with Perfect Day’s ProFerm, has raised serious concerns about the safety, nutritional value, and ethical implications of these new products. The Health Research Institute’s (HRI) findings, which revealed 92 unidentified molecules and a fungicide in Bored Cow’s milk, have sparked a legal battle and a broader debate about the regulatory framework governing food additives.

The rise of synthetic milk and the Perfect Day controversy

Perfect Day, a biotech company, has been at the forefront of developing synthetic milk proteins using genetically modified microflora. The company claims that its product, ProFerm, is “identical” to cow’s milk and offers a more sustainable alternative. However, the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) and GMO/Toxin Free USA have filed a lawsuit against Perfect Day, alleging that the company’s marketing is false and misleading.

According to the lawsuit, ProFerm is not identical to cow’s milk. HRI’s testing revealed that ProFerm is only 13.4% cow’s whey protein, with the remaining 86.6% consisting of fungal proteins. These fungal proteins and compounds are not found in cow’s milk and have never been part of the human diet. John Fagan, Ph.D., HRI’s chief scientist and CEO, emphasized the nutritional deficiencies in synthetic milk:

  • 69 important nutrients present in natural milk were either absent or present in trace amounts in ProFerm.
  • Vitamins B2, B5, and E, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, were either missing or present in negligible amounts.
  • Carnitine, essential for energy metabolism, was either absent or present in trace amounts.

Fagan’s findings highlight the stark differences between synthetic and natural milk, challenging Perfect Day’s claims of nutritional equivalence. The presence of a fungicide, Benthiavalicarb-isopropyl, in Bored Cow’s milk further raises concerns about the safety of these products.

The ethical and regulatory implications

The lawsuit against Perfect Day also highlights the shortcomings of the FDA’s “GRAS” (Generally Recognized as Safe) process. Under current regulations, companies can self-affirm that their products are GRAS without thorough safety testing. This loophole has allowed Perfect Day to market ProFerm for the past five years, despite the lack of comprehensive safety data.

Alexis Baden-Mayer, political director for the OCA, stated, “Perfect Day markets the ‘milk’ as ‘identical’ to cow’s milk. That’s what we’re going after them for. That kind of false advertising is illegal, and it’s something we can take direct legal action against.” The OCA and GMO/Toxin Free USA are demanding a jury trial and an injunction to halt the deceptive marketing of ProFerm.

Diana Reeves, founder and executive director of GMO/Toxin Free USA, described ProFerm as a “nutritionally-devoid substance composed primarily of fungal proteins never before consumed by humans.” She added, “It is deeply concerning that this potentially harmful food-like product could be labeled cow’s whey or be advertised as ‘identical to traditional milk.’”

The FDA’s “GRAS” process has come under scrutiny, with calls for reform. On March 10, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed the FDA to address the GRAS loophole. However, the lawsuit against Perfect Day focuses on the company’s misrepresentation to consumers, not the FDA’s regulatory framework.

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Largest US Egg Producer Cal-Maine Under DOJ Price Investigation

Cal-Maine Foods Inc., the nation’s largest egg producer, on Tuesday acknowledged that it is being investigated by the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division over the national increase in egg prices.

The brief admission in its newest financial report made headlines and the company’s shares fell by about 4 percent in after-hours trading.

“In March 2025, the Company received a civil investigative demand in connection with a widely publicized investigation by the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice into the causes behind nationwide increases in egg prices,” Cal-Maine said in its financial report for its third quarter on Tuesday. “The Company is cooperating with the investigation.”

Egg prices have hit record highs in recent months, largely due to a bird flu epidemic that has forced farmers to slaughter more than 166 million birds, mostly egg-laying chickens.

One dozen Grade A eggs cost an average of $5.90 in U.S. cities in February, up 10.4 percent from a year ago. That eclipsed January’s record-high price of $4.95.

The Ridgeland, Mississippi-based Cal-Maine accounts for roughly 20 percent of the nation’s egg supply.

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US Peanut Allergy Epidemic Sprang From Experts’ Exactly-Wrong Guidance

In the 1980s, peanut allergies were almost entirely unheard-of. Today, the United States has one of the highest peanut-allergy rates in the world. Disturbingly, this epidemic was precipitated by institutions that exist to promote public health. The story of their malpractice illuminates the fallibility of respected institutions, and confirms that public health’s catastrophically incorrect guidance during the Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t an isolated anomaly.

The roots of this particular example of expert-inflicted mass suffering can be found in the early 1990s, when the existence of peanut allergies — still a very rare and mostly low-risk phenomenon at the time — first came to public notice. Their entry into public consciousness began with studies published by medical researchers. By the mid-1990s, however, major media outlets were running attention-grabbing stories of hospitalized children and terrified parents. The Great Parental Peanut Panic was on.

As fear and dread mounted, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a professional association of tens of thousands of US pediatricians, felt compelled to tell parents how to prevent their children from becoming the latest victims. “There was just one problem: They didn’t know what precautions, if any, parents should take,” wrote then-Johns Hopkins surgeon and now-FDA Commissioner Marty Makary in his 2024 book, Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health.

Ignorance proved no obstacle. Lacking humility and seeking to bolster its reputation as an authoritative organization, the AAP in 2000 handed down definitive instructions: Parents should avoid feeding any peanut product to children under 3 years old who were believed to have a high risk of developing a peanut allergy; pregnant and lactating mothers were likewise cautioned against consuming peanuts.

The AAP noted that “the ability to determine which infants are at high risk is imperfect.” Indeed, simply having a relative with any kind of allergy could land a child or mother in the “high risk” category. Believing they were erring on the side of caution, pediatricians across the country started giving blanket instructions that children shouldn’t be fed any peanut food until age 3; pregnant and breastfeeding mothers were told to steer clear too.

What was the basis of the AAP’s pronouncement? The organization was simply parroting guidance that the UK Department of Health had put forth in 1998. Makary scoured that guidance for a scientific rationale, and found a declaration that mothers who eat peanuts were more likely to have children with allergies, with the claim attributed to a 1996 study. When he checked the study, however, he was shocked to find the data demonstrated no such correlation. The study’s author, Irish pediatric professor Jonathan Hourihane, was himself shocked to see his study used to justify the policy. “It’s ridiculous,” he told Makary. “It’s not what I wanted people to believe.”

Despite the policy’s lack of scientific foundation, the US government’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) fully endorsed the AAP guidance. In time, it would be all too apparent that — as with public health’s later response to Covid-19 — the experts weren’t erring on the side of caution, they were erring on the side of catastrophe.

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WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Socialist NYC Mayoral Candidate Wants City-Owned Grocery Stores

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is a far left socialist and he wants the Big Apple to have government owned grocery stores.

This idea has been tried before and it failed miserably. Anyone who knows history remembers the images of bare shelves in government owned grocery stores in the former Soviet Union.

Mamdani recently shared a survey on Twitter/X showing that New Yorkers support his idea.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also pushed this terrible idea.

From City Journal:

One of his more curious proposals, about which he is buoyant, is to open city-owned and city-managed grocery stores. His campaign literature explains that these municipal stores will be “focused on keeping prices low, not making a profit. Without having to pay rent or property taxes, they will reduce overhead and pass on savings to shoppers. They will buy and sell at wholesale prices, centralize warehousing and distribution, and partner with local neighborhoods on products and sourcing.”

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RFK Jr. Moves to Cut Soda from List of Approved Food Stamp Purchases – Pay Attention to Who Is Fighting Him on It

If HHS Secretary and healthy food advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has his way, SNAP will stand for Soda Not Allowed Period.

On Friday, Kennedy brought his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign to West Virginia, where Republican Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced that he will be seeking permission from the Department of Agriculture to put soda on the list of items that cannot be bought through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often referred to by its former name of food stamps, according to The Washington Post.

“Taxpayer dollars should be targeted toward nutritious foods,” Morrisey said.

Kennedy issued a full-throated request for states to copy Morrisey’s lead.

“I urge every Governor to follow West Virginia’s lead and submit a waiver to the USDA to remove soda from SNAP,” Kennedy said in a statement, according to Newsweek.

“If there’s one thing we can agree on, it should be eliminating taxpayer-funded soda subsidies for lower income kids. I look forward to inviting every Governor who submits a waiver to come celebrate with me at the White House this fall,” he said.

Waging a SNAP war on soda is opposed by Valerie Imbruce, director of the Center for Environment and Society at Washington College.

“Controlling how the poor eat is a paternalistic response to a problem that is not based in SNAP recipients’ inability to make good decisions about healthy foods, it is a problem of the price differential in choosing healthy or junk foods,” she said.

“Soda and candy are much cheaper and more calorie dense than 100 percent fruit juices or prebiotic non-artificially sweetened carbonated beverages, thanks to price supports and subsidies by the federal government to support a U.S. sugar industry,” she added.

The soda industry was also miffed, the Post noted.

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Organic Industry Watchdog Group Calls On HHS Secretary Kennedy To ‘Save True Meaning’ Of Organics

An organic industry watchdog group is calling on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to protect organic farmers and food from corrupt practices allowed by previous administrations.

In a letter to Kennedy, Organic Eye asked Kennedy to “actively intervene to save the true meaning of the organic label,” and offered to collaborate with him on that process.

As the organic industry has expanded over the last two decades, Organic Eye Executive Director Mark Kastel said major agro-industry players have come to dominate the industry, drowning out the voices of the family farmers who started it.

Agro-industry has successfully lobbied the USDA to allow practices — like hydroponic vegetable production and industrial meat, egg and milk production —  to be certified as “organic” even though they don’t meet the original intent of the Organic Foods Production Act Congress passed in 1990, which established organics as an alternative to industrial farming, he said.

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Farmer and Doctor Agree: Poultry Mass Destruction Must Stop

Here is some background on Salatin and the “Polyface Story”

In 1961, William and Lucille Salatin moved their young family to Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, purchasing the most worn-out, eroded, abused farm in the area near Staunton. Using nature as a pattern, they and their children began the healing and innovation that now supports three generations. Disregarding conventional wisdom, the Salatins planted trees, built huge compost piles, dug ponds, moved cows daily with portable electric fencing, and invented portable sheltering systems to produce all their animals on perennial prairie polycultures.

Today the farm arguably represents America’s premier non-industrial food production oasis. Believing that the Creator’s design is still the best pattern for the biological world, the Salatin family invites like-minded folks to join in the farm’s mission: to develop emotionally, economically, environmentally enhancing agricultural enterprises and facilitate their duplication throughout the world. The Salatins continue to refine their models to push environmentally-friendly farming practices toward new levels of expertise.

Gornoski does a masterful job framing the issues. Salatin believes we should let a natural immunity strategy play out and only cull the sick birds. I can tell you as a doctor, The Wellness Company did not wait for the government agencies to step in and protect farmers like Salatin. We announced the Prevent and Protect Program to supply our critical poultry and egg suppliers with bird flu kits which will help keep the workers safe as they allow flocks to develop natural immunity.

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Egg Price Collapse Scrambles Democrats’ Inflation Propaganda Against Trump

Democrats just had their egg-related misinformation and disinformation campaign against the president scrambled, as new USDA data reveals a third consecutive week of price declines at supermarkets. The drop follows President Trump’s recent countermeasures to stabilize national supply after the Biden-Harris administration’s reckless culling of 150 million egg-laying hens plunged the industry into turmoil and sparked egg-flation.

Even leftist ABC News had to acknowledge falling USDA egg prices. 

This followed weeks of Democrats and leftist corporate media attempting to pin the egg crisis on Trump. 

USDA egg prices hit a historic high of $8.17 per dozen on March 3, roughly two weeks ago. Since then, prices have more than halved.

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