❗Help close the gap: We still need to raise $40,000 by the end of March. Donate now

A food historian’s “ode to macaroni and cheese”

Aug 19, 2020
“We like to curse processed foods,” says Jeffrey Miller. “But we usually do it with a mouth full of them.”
Demand for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese has surged this year as Americans are cooking more and eating at restaurants less.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Food companies are banking on our urge to snack

Aug 30, 2019
Processed food has been going out of fashion for years, but healthy snacks are driving up sales for old-school food companies like the Campbell Soup Co.
Snacks and drinks with higher nutritional value are displayed during a news conference on school food nutrition in 2003 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Why is more plastic showing up in processed foods?

Jun 18, 2019
In the past two weeks alone, polymers have shown up in branded pasta sauces and chicken products.
There's been an uptick in the plastic contaminating processed foods recently.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Processed food companies find that consumer tastes are changing

May 18, 2018
It’s tough to be in the processed food business these days. The abrupt departure of the Campbell’s CEO after a bad quarterly earnings report highlights how difficult it is for these companies to shift their identities, with consumers seeking foods they consider healthier. How are processed food companies responding? Click the audio player above to […]

Food giant General Mills tries out some new tactics

Dec 29, 2015
The Big Food company tries on small-size tactics in developing new products.

Target zeroes in on food, glorious food

May 18, 2015
Target is emphasizing produce and organic foods in its grocery departments.

Finding the natural in natural flavors

Mar 2, 2015
Natural flavors come from a substance found in nature, but that's just the start.

For public good, not for profit.

Processed foods make up 70 percent of the U.S. diet

Mar 12, 2013
Author Melanie Warner discusses the complexities of the processed foods that line the shelves at the supermarket.