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The Biggest Difference in How Americans Bought Food in 1960 and Today

There were a lot of options the food markets in 1960 didn’t have that we do, like a baffling array of Oreo flavors, or tube-encased yogurts. But there’s one change that’s bigger than the explosion in novelty-food choices. The USDA put together data on Americans’ food shopping habits over the last 55 years. When you…

We’re Growing Twice as Much Food (with Far Fewer Farms) Than We Used To

How do you grow more food? One answer that makes sense is with bigger farms and more farmers. But if you look at the last half century-or-so worth of data, that’s not at all what’s been happening. The USDA put together this curious little chart of what we’ve been putting into our farms since 1948,…

Something Is Killing Off America’s Orange Supply

Oranges are, by far, America’s number one fruit. But in the last few years a mysterious die-off has been hitting the groves—and it’s spreading fast. The latest numbers on American orange production are out from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the news is not good for breakfast or Vitamin C fans alike. Since 2012,…

Somebody’s Already Suing the Government Over New Dietary Guidelines Issued Just Hours Ago

This morning, the USDA and the Department of Health and Human services finally issued a new set of American dietary guidelines. Just a few hours later, the first lawsuit over those same dietary recommendations was announced. So, what’s in these new guidelines that has people so upset less than 24 hours in? Really, not that…

A World Coffee Shortage Is Inevitable

In the coffee-world, there’s been quiet rumblings of a shortage brewing for awhile now. And yet, despite the threat, it hasn’t hit quite yet—but that doesn’t mean it’s gone away. https://gizmodo.com/the-drought-in-brazil-could-cause-a-global-coffee-shor-1531030442 A brand new global coffee production report is out from the Foreign Agricultural Service with some seemingly confusing news: Brazil, the world’s foremost coffee…

Rejoice, America! The Federal Government Has Built You a Moth Drone

Planes have long been used to drop pesticides and herbicides quickly and evenly over cropland, but the newest drone to drift quietly over us has something a little different waiting in its cargo-hold: thousands and thousands of sterilized moths. The pink bollwarm is a cotton pest that doesn’t show up often, but hits hard when…

Mysterious Culprit That Killed 7 Million Pigs Finally Revealed: It Was Tote Bags

Yes, reusable tote bags may be good for making us feel smug in the grocery store check-out. But the USDA just traced a deadly virus that has killed millions of pigs to an unlikely culprit: tote bags. Not feeling so good about that tote bag now, are you? Last year, Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus killed…

Parents Are Suing Welch’s Fruit Snacks for Confusing Kids About What Fruit Is

Parents who were shocked (shocked!) to find that Welch’s fruit snacks—despite being compressed into the shape of tiny, tiny fruits—were not actually fruit-like at all but something closer to fruity candy, have brought a lawsuit. To be fair to the parents, Welch’s fruit snacks do, indeed, bill themselves as a “fruit” snack. To be fair…

Study Finds 20 Percent of Ground Meat Isn’t What It Says On the Label

Once it’s been processed and pulped, most red meat looks more or less the same. This seems to be helping unscrupulous meat suppliers: according to a new survey, 20% of ground meat contains more than what’s just on the label. Correction: A previous version of this article mistakenly said that ground beef was one of…

Stop Refrigerating Your Butter

Do you keep your butter in the refrigerator? You do? Stop it. Stop it right this second. You’re ruining your butter experience and making your toast taste like failure. Let me tell you why. Butter is a wonderful substance. Made by churning cream until it separates into buttermilk and fat globules, butter is not only…

Here’s Which Foods Have Gotten More Expensive in the Last 30 Years

Food prices have risen in the last three decades—but that’s not the whole story. While some foods have gotten more expensive, others have fallen in price dramatically, and a look at the data says a lot about why we eat the way we do. The USDA just put together a look at where food prices…

Is it possible that we could get an allergy-free peanut, that still tastes like a peanut? That’s just one of the projects detailed in the USDA’s newly-released Tech Transfer report, detailing some of the unlikely ways their research has been showing up out in the world.

A Chart Of Which Foods In California Will Make It Through The Drought

California grows a pretty significant part of our food supply, both in terms of sheer numbers and in terms of different varieties. But as the land out there gets drier and drier, not everything is going to make it. The USDA’s Economic Research Service put together this chart of which crops depend on various water…

The Congressional Debate Over What Makes Food “Natural”

A controversial bill that seeks to block mandatory GMO food labeling by individual U.S. states was the subject of a hearing held yesterday by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. Amid the testimonies, one key question emerged time and again: Are genetically modified foods “natural”? Activists in several states have been pushing for…

The USDA Killed 4 Million Animals in 2013, But It’s Not Clear Why

When there’s a “human wildlife conflict,” the US Department of Agriculture’s “Wildlife Services” gets called in to take care of the problem. In 2013, that resulted in the death of more than 4 million animals. Darryl Fears reports at the Washington Post: The more than 4 million animals shot, poisoned, snared and trapped by the…

All the ways Americans refuse to eat their vegetables in one chart

It’s no surprise that we are not eating enough vegetables. But in how many different ways are we not eating our vegetables? We are not eating green vegetables. We are not eating orange vegetables. We are really not eating legumes. This chart from the USDA compares actual grocery spending with the recommended over an eight-year…

SPAM: Now with three kinds of pig!

The ingredients label for a can of Hormel’s SPAM with bacon — that non-perishable staple of survival kits the world over — lists “pork,” “ham” and “bacon.” Separately. In that order. So what the heck is the difference between the three? According to Wired’s Patrick Di Justo, when it comes to naming pig parts, it’s…

Pink Goop Beef Is Invading School Lunches: USDA Buys 7 Million Pounds of the Slime to Feed Kids

Remember our old friend pink goop? The crap notoriously in chicken nuggets and the filth that McDonald’s famously stopped using a month ago? Well, it’s rearing its ugly pink head again and this time it’s going after children. That’s right, the USDA has plans to buy 7 million pounds of pink goop beef for our…

The Grossest Things Accidentally Found in Hot Dogs Are Even Grosser Than You Think

Hot dogs. Juicy, succulent, mouth savoring meat. A pink mixed mash of deliciousness. See hot dog, want hot dog, eat hot dog. That’s what I think, at least. I might have to think twice though. Some truly disgusting stuff is sometimes found in a hotdiggity. The NY Times sent a FOIA request to the USDA…

Get ready for the grasshopper and cricket swarms this summer

The US Department of Agriculture warns that this summer could bring massive outbreaks of grasshoppers and Mormon crickets. Grasshopper and cricket swarms can decimate farmlands, causing economic losses as well as food shortages. From the USDA website: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is expecting potentially heavy grasshopper outbreaks…