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Hundreds of food brands linked to hidden prisoner workforce, AP reports

The Associated Press uncovered a workforce of prisoners producing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of agricultural products and goods by popular food brands.
Nationwide, U.S. prisoners produce hundreds of millions of dollars worth of agricultural products and goods sold on the open market, AP reporters found. Above, a man walks through part of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, a maximum security prison with its own farm.
Giles Clarke/Getty Images

A new book follows one meal from seed to serving

Oct 17, 2023
"The Dish" by Andrew Friedman shows just how many steps the phrase "farm to table" skips.
From farmers to dishwashers, every part of the food chain of one meal is examined in the book.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Labor costs are a key ingredient in food inflation

Aug 11, 2023
And consumers of all income levels are adopting creative strategies to make their dollars stretch farther.
Generally, only 15% of the price of something like peanut butter goes to the farmer who produced the raw ingredients, says Chris Barrett, aprofessor of agricultural and development economics at Cornell. More goes to the production and transporting of the final product.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Time again for home-based Utah baker to "fly the coop" for a commercial space

Jul 24, 2023
Rita Magalde of Sheer Ambrosia is preparing to bake baklava in a Salt Lake City space.
Rita Magalde, center, with her employees Desi Hayda, left, and Hayda's mother, Helene Simpson, right.
Courtesy Rita Magalde

Cultivated meat seeks discerning diners

Jun 26, 2023
The USDA has given approval to the sale of meat grown in laboratories but will consumers take to it?
Cell-cultivated meat will soon be available at a few high-end restaurants in the U.S.
Getty Images

After 9 years, LA cheese shop moves to a space of its own

May 23, 2023
Lydia Clarke's business struggled in the early days of the pandemic. Now, she says, "I know we can do it."
Lydia Clarke in front of her "happy place," the cheese case.
Andie Corban/Marketplace

What will it take for consumers to accept lab-grown meat?

Feb 6, 2023
Lab-grown meat makers are optimistic their products will soon be available at a handful of San Francisco-area restaurants.
Nicholas Yeo/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Mayonnaise eggnog? Here's why brands still gamble on wacky food promotions

Dec 6, 2022
Whether you view Hellmann's suggestion to sub mayo for eggs in eggnog as revolting or merely unconventional, you're already thinking about Hellmann's. And that's the point.
Imagine this, but with mayo. However you react is what companies are willing to gamble on.
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How the Dutch used technology and vertical farming to became a major food exporter

Dec 1, 2022
The technology allows leafy greens to be grown next to where people will eat them, says Laura Reiley of The Washington Post.
Micro greens grow at a vertical farm in Newark, New Jersey.
Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

New technology helped restaurants through the pandemic. But when it crashes, they're "shafted."

Jul 28, 2022
Demand for modern point of sale systems exploded as businesses embraced contactless payment. But some have found reliability problems.
The dollar volume that point-of-sale systems handle for small businesses has been growing 30% annually, according to analyst Lisa Ellis.
David Becker/Getty Images