The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 03/10/2026Theodore's good vibe of the week: $60 rye bread. What's a food item you justified spending an outrageous amount of money on and, most importantly, was it worth it? Forked is out now wherever you get your podcasts. New episode next Thursday, so stay tuned! 000
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 02/10/2026The MAHA & The Midterms finale is out today. Theodore Ross with the three reporters behind the series Jill, Jane and Teresa on where the movement is headed, who it's leaving behind, and which party stands to benefit now that food politics is driving the debate. Out now on Reap/Sow. 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 01/10/2026Meet Boyce Upholt, FERN's newest Contributing Editor. 130
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 01/10/2026Forked is going live in NYC.🍴 November 4th pack your knives and go, because Helena Bottemiller Evich and Theodore Ross are hosting, joined by a Top Guest (still marinating, details soon). Tickets go on sale October 5th. No Elimination Challenge, just a good time. Mark your calendar. 011
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 28/09/2026Jane, Jill and Teresa wrote the last three pieces of MAHA & The Midterms special series. Here they compare notes, a month out from the midterm elections. Thursday 10/1, Reap/Sow wherever you get your podcasts 020
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 23/09/2026Sneak peek at tomorrow's new episode of Forked 👀 Theodore and Helena have thoughts on the week in food politics. Full episode tomorrow → wherever you get your podcasts 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 21/09/2026While Washington stalls on food safety, a California Assembly member got his fourth law signed over the weekend. 110
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 18/09/2026Why did a movement built by women hand its top jobs to men? Jill Filipovic explains her newest addition to MAHA & The Midterms, a special series from FERN with @motherjones.com and @politico.com. Read it here: bit.ly/4rgdUPV 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 16/09/2026MAHA moms built the grassroots movement, but men are running it. 152
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 15/09/2026🐝The population of the world’s largest bumblebee has declined by approximately 90%. 123
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 14/09/2026Reporter Jude Isabella went to Patagonia to find the biggest bumblebee in the world. Patagonia's only native bumblebee’s population is down ~90%. Her competition? European bees imported to pollinate berries. Story tomorrow on thefern.org 🐝 with @lanacioncom.bsky.social and @biographic.bsky.social 120
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 09/09/2026Forked returns tomorrow with new episodes landing biweekly on Thursdays with Theodore Ross (FERN) and Helena Bottemiller Evich (Food Fix). Enjoy a preview Full episode → wherever you get your podcasts 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 08/09/2026Three companies now control most of Bristol Bay's salmon. A few small processors are betting that fishermen and buyers want something different… 110
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 03/09/2026Forked is coming back! 🌽 Theodore and Helena return biweekly to make sense of the American food system and break down the policies on your plate. It's a new season with new guests, and the midterms are heating up with food policy front and center. Follow along - you don't want to miss this!🍴 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 31/08/2026In case you missed it: our MAHA and the Midterms series is underway, and part one follows Zach Lahn, the Republican running for governor of Iowa on a promise to break up Big Ag. 131
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 18/08/2026He's running for governor in Iowa on a promise to bust up Big Ag. Is Zach Lahn the real deal? Read the full investigation, reported by Teresa Cotsirilos: thefern.org/2026/08/zach... 3163
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 17/08/2026MAHA voters helped Trump win in 2024. Now the alliance is straining over pesticides, food labels, and who holds the health jobs. Tomorrow we launch a special series: MAHA & The Midterms, published with partners @politico.com and @motherjones.com . Follow us to keep up with the series as it drops. 1256
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 12/08/2026At FERN, we’re looking for our next Assistant Engagement Producer to run point on our video and podcast production (Forked, REAP/SOW) and help shape how our reporting shows up on social media. Role is full-time, remote (U.S.), $40k - $50k. Learn more and apply here: bit.ly/4bLRkbm 011
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 11/08/2026Ready to eat blackberries without seeds stuck in your teeth? Scientists are using Crispr gene-editing to redesign food from the ground up. 110
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 27/07/2026Will Big Alcohol and Big Cannabis kill the hemp drink industry before Congress can save it? Chris Fontes found a loophole in the 2018 farm bill that built a $1B industry. Now a Nov. 12 deadline could end it. By Alexander Zaitchik in partnership with @inc.com 030
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 23/07/2026The 2018 farm bill quietly legalized trace amounts of THC in hemp products. Eight years later, that clause gave rise to a billion-dollar beverage industry and now a Kentucky senator wants to shut it down. Reporting by Alexander Zaitchik for FERN and @inc.com. Full article here: bit.ly/4gOWFC3 020
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 25/06/2026Shoutout to the 13-year-old who casually executed a flawless egg sandwich—great bread, perfect seasoning, and an intentional splash of hot sauce. Parents of toddlers, stay strong: one day your children will make you premium breakfast food. 000
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 24/06/2026Zach Lahn is testing a wild political thesis: Can an anti-Big Ag, pro-water-quality, anti-glyphosate MAHA candidate win over deep-red rural Iowa voters? It turns out he's a full-stop MAHA true believer, and the establishment is panicking. Full breakdown here: $$Link$$ 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 22/06/2026The wellness-to-politics pipeline is officially winning elections. A MAHA health candidate just defeated a Trump-endorsed MAGA candidate by capitalizing on voter anger over food systems and chronic illness policies. This isn't a subculture anymore; it's an electoral powerhouse. $$Link$$ 100
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 16/06/2026In this episode of Forked: 🔹 The terrifying return of the flesh-eating New World screwworm 🔹 Zach Lahn and Iowa's water crisis 🧠 🔹 Helena's "doom buckets" and Theodore's ultimate egg sandwich 🥪 Listen here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: thefern.org/podcasts/forked 000
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 16/06/2026A 25% staff reduction in agricultural disease monitoring is a quiet administrative change—until a crisis hits. If this current threat leaks out past regional containment, it’s a full-blown national disaster. Here is why budget cuts have real-world biosecurity consequences: $$Link$$ 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 15/06/2026Why do we say "please" to chatbots? 🤖 Michael Pollan discusses our evolutionary bias to anthropomorphize everything and the massive design choice that forced us to treat AI like a conscious being. 011
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 14/06/2026The food gap: Young people want to eat healthier but cook less than older generations. Michael Pollan argues the fix isn't just nagging people to get in the kitchen. We need to make whole foods convenient via affordable, "real food" fast-casual options. 🥗 🍉 020
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 11/06/2026How did Big Food fight back against the food movement? Michael Pollan reflects on the industry's successful pushback starting in 2008. 🚜🛑 020
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 09/06/2026Are algorithms hacking our attention? Michael Pollan discusses how social media and modern politics have hijacked our mental space. Time to reclaim mental freedom! 📵🧠 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 07/06/2026Your headspace is under siege. Michael Pollan dives into the modern crisis of attention hacking and the battle for our private inner lives. 🛡️🧠 000
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 05/06/2026Why does science struggle to explain consciousness? "A World Appears" author Michael Pollan explores the limits of objective science in understanding our subjective experiences. 🧠✨ 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 03/06/2026Was the early food movement too naive? Michael Pollan explains why well-intentioned efforts struggled against the political power of industrial agriculture. 🌾🏛️ 000
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 02/06/2026In this episode of Forked: 🔹 The 20-year legacy of The Omnivore's Dilemma 🔹 Psychedelics, consciousness, and food politics 🧠 🔹 Theodore’s favorite Brooklyn dim sum spot 🥟 Listen here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: thefern.org/podcasts/forked 000
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 02/06/2026Can we reform the food system just by "voting with your fork"? Michael Pollan says it's a start, but we need political engagement too. 🍴🏛️ 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 23/05/2026The Trump admin just announced an antitrust probe into JBS. But with JBS as a massive campaign donor, is it the real deal? 🥩🤔 Sen. Cory Booker tells the Forked podcast he's praying for accountability but currently sees "no credibility" in the move. Listen here! 🎧 youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM 011
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 22/05/2026France's famous Brittany beaches are being overtaken by a green seaweed that releases toxic hydrogen sulphide gas as it rots. 🌊 The media calls it the "killer seaweed," and scientists are calling it a "monster." 🦠 thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday… 011
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 22/05/2026Only 7% of US ag subsidies go to the foods doctors recommend. The result? An explosion in diet-related disease and healthcare costs. 📉🍔 Sen Cory Booker breaks down the broken food system on the new episode of Forked! Listen here: youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM 🎧 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 21/05/2026Who are the champions of food policy in the Senate? 🏛️ Sen. Cory Booker shouts out his allies Senator Luján and his “bald brother” Senator Warnock for leading the fight for a healthier food system! Listen to the new episode of Forked! 🎧 youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 20/05/2026Sen. Cory Booker exposes the environmental and health horrors of massive CAFOs and how giant meatpacking corporations are polluting low-income communities. 🐖🏭 “These are awful corporations that need people to stand up to them.” Listen to Forked! 🎧 youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM 011
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 19/05/2026The NYT reveals RFK Jr. hasn't moved on from his vaccine skepticism, quietly searching for a 'silver bullet' link to autism. Listen to the full episode: youtu.be/s3Rl0mxvFsc 000
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 19/05/2026In this episode of Forked: 🔹 The future of MAHA 🔹 SNAP work requirements update 🔹 FERN's James Beard Media Award nods 🏆 Listen here and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts:https://thefern.org/podcasts/forked/ 020
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 19/05/2026“The math isn't mathing.” 📉🚜 Massive corporate conglomerates are squeezing small American family farms with high input costs. Are we facing another 1980s farm crisis? Sen. Cory Booker discusses the solution on the new episode of Forked! 🎧 youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM 000
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 18/05/2026A $250M indoor farm in Florida uses AI & 10k sensors to raise Atlantic Salmon. Result: Zero antibiotics & 3x the Omega-3s. But out-engineering nature is pricey. Would YOU eat land-grown salmon? 👇 101
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 17/05/2026“Her doctor called it a miracle cure. It's not a miracle... It's access to fresh, healthy foods.” 🥦 Sen. Cory Booker shares how urban farms in Newark helped residents reverse chronic diseases. Listen to the new episode of Forked out now! 🎧 youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM 030
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 16/05/2026“Hope is the active conviction that despair is not gonna have the last word.” Sen. Cory Booker draws inspiration from the Civil Rights movement as a new grassroots coalition fights for a better food system. ✊ Listen to the new Forked podcast! 🎧 youtu.be/R22btsrNGzM 010
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 15/05/2026By moving salmon farming to land-based facilities, Atlantic Sapphire is tackling disease, escapes, and sea-lice head-on. Is land-based aquaculture the key to saving native marine species? 🐟 thefern.org/blog_posts/ferns-friday… 000
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 14/05/2026Is the USDA opening a Red Lobster? 🦞🇺🇸 Behind the "boiled lobster" USDA website imagery is a serious mission: treating American fishermen like farmers to secure our domestic food supply. Full episode: youtu.be/ACBGHCMtZDU 000
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 12/05/2026Huge news! 🎙️ Senator Cory Booker joined us on the latest episode of Forked. Helena and Theodore dive into: The future of the Farm Bill 🚜 The Dem’s strategy on food policy 🏛️ Winning back the plate from the GOP before the midterms 🗳️ Listen now: thefern.org/podcasts/forked 000
The Food & Environment Reporting Network @thefern.org · 12/05/2026MAHA REVOLT INITIATE ✅ We decode the all-caps tweet from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna that has D.C. on edge. It’s a digital power play: MAHA advocates successfully pressured Congress to strip pesticide rules from the Farm Bill. Full episode: youtu.be/ACBGHCMtZDU 000