Food and Agriculture

Only 100 cod in the North Sea? No — but there’s still a problem

There are still many cod in the North Sea, but only about 100 of them are 13 years or older, and that's bad news for the species going forward.

Philip Bump Food and Agriculture

Toxic green slime has taken over the lakes of America. Again.

It's late summer, and that means toxic algae blooms fueled by conventional fertilizers and factory farms are taking over lakes in the Midwest. Run for your lives!

John Upton Food and Agriculture

Drought-tolerant seeds: Insurance policy for farmers or a big gamble?

Companies like Monsanto and Syngenta want farmers to think of drought-tolerant seeds as an insurance policy against hot, dry weather. But for farmers who don't take care of the soil, these seeds look like a gamble.

Tom Laskawy Food and Agriculture

Pop culture: The industry forces behind New York’s soda war

Companies like McDonald's and Coca Cola came out swinging in the fight against NYC's soda ban. Here's what they had at stake.

Michele Simon Food and Agriculture

New York City bans large, sugary drinks

In a first-in-the-nation move, the NYC Board of Health has enacted limits on the size of sodas that businesses like fast-food outlets can sell.

Philip Bump Cities

Chinese McDonald’s selling a very chic, weird, possibly political black/white burger combo

These black and white burgers might have a political message, which seems like a really cumbersome way to communicate.

Sarah Miller Food and Agriculture

Dear U.S. government, please get your food waste act together

The bad news: The U.S. is lagging way behind the European Union when it comes to cutting down on wasted food. The good news: It wouldn't be hard for us to follow suit.

Dana Gunders Food and Agriculture

Sweet victory: How to have your unprocessed cake and eat it, too

Grist’s green-living pioneer, the Greenie Pig, attempts to eat out, and eat dessert, without consuming any processed ingredients. This could get ugly.

Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan Food and Agriculture

Coming soon: Non-vegan, non-kosher bananas

Food scientists have come up with an evil plan to make bananas off-limits to strict vegans, people keeping kosher, and anyone with an iodine allergy: They want to coat the […]

Sarah Laskow Food and Agriculture

Millennials: The emerging organic majority?

Today's young adults are more interested in organic food than their parents -- and they're prepared to spend more on it, too.