Oy Vey It's A Food Newsletter - Vol 2, Issue 4

Read this newsletter, preferably while having nothing but coffee for breakfast because the The Wall Street Journal said so!

Feb 24, 2023

Hi friends,

I have been working on a couple really awesome projects recently — don’t you worry my favorite project will always be this newsletter — and I’m really trying to improve my organizational skills, budgeting ability, and time management. My OCD is thrilled with getting into new routines but wow my ADHD is pissed, then my anxiety jumps in to make me worry about e v e r y t h i n g. Anyways, I’m trialing a couple of (free) project management apps like Todoist and Trello, but if you have other suggestions please drop them in the comments!

P.S. If you missed my live chat with Rabbi Jonathan Bernhard from Jewish Initiative for Animals about kosher laws and cultivated meat, watch the recording here!

P.P.S. Reserve your spot for Demystifying Sustainable Labeling Claims, a webinar I’m teaching Tuesday with Planetary Health Collective! Use code “FOOD50” for 50% off your ticket.

What I’ve Read

Yes, Lab-Grown Meat Is Vegan - I have so so many thoughts...the first is the hangup with the label "vegan", I already think that label can often be more unhelpful than helpful because there are so many interpretations of what vegan means. I still use it and identify with it, but I also try my best to always contextualize what veganism means to me and lead with specifics rather than assuming people have the same interpretation I do. Some vegans will consider cultivated meat vegan, others won't, I don't see that changing. I also think it's interesting how much power the author thinks the vegan community has over the rest of the population when we are constantly told that vegans won't change anything and non-vegans (especially of the internet troll variety) frequently tell us that no matter what we do or say, they'll never stop consuming animals. I don't think we will be the ultimate gatekeepers to cultivated meat's success.
- If you are interested in further discussions about cultivated (lab-grown) meat, check out the Instagram Live chat I had with Rabbi Johnathan Bernhard from Jewish Initiative For Animals about the kosher-ness of cultivated meat.
The Germiest Place In Your Kitchen Isn’t Your Bin And We’re Shook - Okay spices would not have been my first guess, or even one of my top 5 guesses for germiest surfaces in kitchens. A recent study with 371 consumer participants, commissioned by the USDA, was apparently the first cross-contamination research that tested spice containers. The study was done using turkey burger patties and a ready-to-eat salad with an added tracer organism to track cross-contamination during food prep and cooking. Go wipe down your spices and clean your fridge while you’re at it!
The ‘master plan’ to double legume consumption in the Netherlands by 2030 - The Dutch government has a goal to reduce the Netherland’s greenhouse gas emissions b 49% by 2030 and 95% by 2050. Enter the Economically-Powered Protein Transition through Innovations in Chains (EEPIC) project set for 2024-2030. This project would help farmers transition to growing crops high in veggie protein (legumes) and encourage changes in consumer behavior to create demand, in part by working on creating a “food choice environment” that makes plant-based foods more accessible.
Vegan left shocked after being served up single banana for in-flight meal they paid for - "It was a really good banana—one of the best I've had recently—but it still seems more appropriate as a snack." If I had a dollar for every terribly disappointing vegan option I’ve ordered…well I’d have at least enough money to buy myself a large soy vanilla iced latte with enough leftover to tip. I’ve gone to plenty of catered non-vegan events where the only thing I could eat was a piece of (very likely underripe) fruit but I’ve never been able to order a vegan meal option that turned out to be a single piece of fruit. Vegans what do we think, is one really good banana better than a meal made up of a bunch of little crappy options?
Cambridge University students vote for completely vegan menus - “The Cambridge students’ union voted…to hold talks about removing all animal products from its cafes and canteens with the university’s catering services.” This student-led activism is part of a Plant-Based Universities campaign at 40 institutions in the UK. Ultimately the University holds the decision power but this is an incredibly cool systems-oriented activism approach.
Social Media Made Veganism About White Wellness. How Are We Changing That? - White wellness influencers really had vegan social media in a chokehold back in the 2010s, my friends and I still make jokes about our Freelee and doodle days (if you don’t get this reference, I am so fucking happy for you!)
(note- I believe this post is for Antiracist RD subscribers only, highly recommend becoming one! I’m usually cautious about sharing resources that are behind paywalls but this essay is so important. Also follow Anisha on Instagram and/or Substack for more!)
FDA Releases Draft Guidance on Labeling of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives - Holy soy milk! With this new draft guidance plant-based milk alternatives (PBMA) can use the word “milk” on their labeling. The guidance also suggests that PBMA that use “milk” offer a voluntary nutrient statement comparing the plant milk’s nutrient profile with cow’s milk based on USDA’s FNS fluid milk substitutes nutrient criteria. The FDA started to solicit comments about PBMA back in 2018, they received over 13,000 and are now taking public comments on this new draft guidance. Shockingly, the FDA concluded that consumers are not confusing PBMA with animal milk, though they did note consumers don’t have a solid understanding about the nutritional differences between the categories.
- For more recent content on plant milk take a look at - Is Plant-Based Milk Good for You? What About for the Planet?
- If you were looking for an update on my Whole Foods kvetch sesh from my previous newsletter, I don’t have one. Their customer service has still not responded to my email asking for clarification on the differences between their non-dairy beverage and soymilk. This guidance may have something to do with it.
Congress Killed a Bill to Give Farmworkers a Path to Citizenship. What Comes Next? - The Farm Workforce Modernization Act (FWMA) passed the House multiple times and all Senate Democrats wanted it to be added to the omnibus package before the end of the session in late December. To win over Republicans, Democrats introduced a new version of the FWMA called the Affordable and Secure Food Act. The changes were acceptable to some of the stakeholders and supporters, but others thought the new version made too many concessions and didn’t do enough to protect farmworkers. Ultimately, it didn’t matter too much because Republicans weren’t satisfied, even with major changes. A real shame that people’s livelihoods, security, safety, and protection from exploitative employers is such a divisive issue.
- For more on other legislation relating to farmworkers, read Farmworkers Finally Won Overtime Pay. Now the Industry Wants to Repeal It.
Cereal, pasta, and other food companies blast the FDA for a too-strict definition of ‘healthy’ - You can read the detailed FDA proposal for a “healthy” food labeling claim here, some of it’s focuses include limiting the allowable amount of saturated fat, sodium, added sugars, and sodium and also requires that products contain a “certain meaningful amount of food from at least one of the food groups…recommended by the Dietary Guidelines. Obviously food conglomerates, brand associations, and food lobbies are not thrilled, especially Conagra’s Healthy Choice® line that would have to change its name or completely reformulate its frozen meals (think reducing the added sugar of meals by about 14 grams). I think it’s important to remind everyone that the healthy claim would be optional, meaning if brands don’t want to reformulate they don’t have to, they just can’t use the word “healthy” in their labeling. Conagra, you may want to start thinking of a new name for Healthy Choice®.
- For additional perspectives, read FDA’s proposed definition of “healthy” a step forward but benefits to consumers will be limited" from CSPI.
Ukraine one year later: Impacts on global food security - Ukraine was invaded by Russia one year ago yesterday. This article presents an economic overview of the changes the war has had on wheat, maize, and soybean crops and offers (grim) predictions for 2023 supplies.

Q&Kay

Q: Hey! I’d love to see you talk about the fifth myth on this NYT article: 10 Nutrition Myths Experts Wish Would Die.

Kay: This question, submitted a few weeks ago, feels especially relevant with the recent FDA draft guidance on PBMA (see link in section above).

Anyways, this article quoted Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, a former U.S. deputy secretary of agriculture for, “Myth No. 5: Plant milk is healthier than dairy milk.” The majority of the paragraph focused on the protein level of almond and oat milk compared to cow’s milk. It also mentioned that many PBMA have more added ingredients, like sodium and added sugar, than cow’s milk.

Obviously it is hard to encapsulate nuanced nutrition science in one paragraph, but I do think this could have been done better. The myth is about plant milk being “healthier” than cow dairy milk but the response is focused on nutrient density, those terms are not interchangeable. It’s surprising they didn’t even acknowledge lactose intolerance or allergies to cow’s milk when discussing the healthfulness of various milks. As someone who gets extremely ill from cow’s milk, it will never be healthier for me than a plant milk. Also strange that they only mentioned almond and oat milk in the discussion of protein. At least give soy milk, pea milk, and cashew milk a fair shot— considering they all have higher protein amounts than almond or oat. They also could have been specific about the type of milks; animal or plant, sweetened or unsweetened, flavored or unflavored, fortified or unfortified.

Let’s compare 1 cup of whole cow’s milk with the Kirkland vanilla organic soy non-dairy beverage in my fridge.

Saturated fat (cow’s milk): 4.6g
Saturated fat (soymilk): 3.5g
Sodium (cow’s milk): 104.9mg
Sodium (soymilk): 95mg
Cholesterol (cow’s milk): 104.9mg
Cholesterol (soymilk): 0mg
Total carbohydrates (cow’s milk): 11.7g
Total carbohydrates (soymilk): 9g
Total sugar (cow’s milk): 12.3g
Total sugar (soymilk): 8g
Added sugar (cow’s milk): 0g
Added sugar (soymilk): 6g
Vitamin D (cow’s milk): 3.2mcg
Vitamin D (soymilk): 5mcg

Okay you get the gist.

Submit a question here!

Kvetch Sesh

"Breakfast lovers might be better off just having a cup of coffee..."

Wish this was a quote from a dystopian novel, but it's just an article from The Wall Street Journal titled To Save Money, Maybe You Should Skip Breakfast. If the ending paragraph was supposed to be sardonic, it really missed the mark.

I've seen a few thought leaders and clever TikTokers critique the article, though most of them have put the spotlight on corporate greed. While that is an incredibly important area for discussion, I want to broaden the scope of analysis.

Not only did this piece skip over rising corporate greed, profits, and the dangers of our highly consolidated food and agriculture industries, it also completely missed the human angle of the "breakfast lovers" it mentioned. I am so tired of this type of the media that talks about people-centric issues, without actually talking about people.

There was no mention or discussion of people who are food insecure and have to skip meals because we don't guarantee food as a human right. The fact that people may have no choice but to skip meals as a means for survival is horrific. These lived experiences do not need to be ignored to convey the impact of inflation or be manipulated as a half-hearted attempt to add humor to break up 3 paragraphs of statistics.

The article also lacked nuance and cultural competency. Instead the bare bones reporting covered price changes of: eggs, breakfast cereal, juice drinks, and coffee. Sure these may be some of the stereotypical U.S. breakfast staples for many people but they are not reflective of the rich diversity of food cultures and lifestyles.

There is so much more that could have been said. Instead, this article will make the rounds, getting enough clicks, views, and mentions to justify the continuation of similar no-nuance reporting.

Action Item - sign the petition for the campaign for size freedom by NAAFA and FLARE! It will be used to support legislation opposing body size discrimination