5@5: The end of meat might be here⁠—what's next? | Microsoft-backed app breaks down COVID-19 food loss

If the end of meat is here, what's next?

COVID-19 has revealed the widespread and varied problems that come with our reliance on industrial animal agriculture, and ultimately could spell the end of it. This is where forms of meat such as blended meat and microbe-based meat enter the picture. But what experts predict will truly put the nail in the coffin for factory farmed meat is when lab-cultured alternatives hit the market at an affordable price. Read more at The Spoon…

This new app breaks down lost food production due to COVID-19

Microsoft has partnered with Purdue University to create a publicly accessible app that illustrates COVID-19's potential risk to agriculture using existing data. This gives users a zoomed out view of the agriculture industry and makes it easier to spot potential future problem areas, which is increasingly important as food prices climb and COVID-19 continues to disproportionately affect farmworkers. Read more at Modern Farmer…

Food banks get the love, but SNAP does more to fight hunger

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) delivers around nine times more food to American citizens than the entire Feeding America network does. By distributing money instead of food to those who qualify for the program, the process is streamlined greatly and recipients can buy what they want while supporting local businesses. Read more at NPR…

Migrant farmworkers, native ranchers in border states hit hardest by COVID-19

Field conditions for farm workers are extremely conducive to the spread of COVID-19, so it's not suprising that Latinx and Native Americans farmworkers, cowboys, and sheep herders who harvest food and herd animals in the desert Southwest have been swiftly and devastatingly affected by the new coronavirus. However, the toll the virus is taking on these minority communities has largely been downplayed by those desperate to keep the food system up and running. Read more at Civil Eats…

Report exposes Big Food's kickbacks to cafeteria contractors

A new report has uncovered a covert system of kickbacks between the food industry's largest corporations and cafeteria operators, a business model that effectively shuts out local farmers and food businesses. The report argues that Big Food's overwhelming presence in cafeterias results in less fresh produce ending up on plates as large food corporations tend to sell shelf stable, ultra-processed and frozen products. Read more at Food and Power…