NUTRITION

With no standalone farm bill in sight, budget reconciliation may be the only path forward

Jenny Schlecht — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 12:30:00 GMT

With no movement on getting a standalone farm bill to replace the existing one that already has faced two extensions, including some important farm bill legislation in a budget reconciliation bill might be the only way forward, according to Collin Peterson.

“It’s not a good way to do a farm bill, but it’s probably the only way they’re going to get it done if they can get it done, and I think it’s got an uphill battle so we’ll see how it goes,” Peterson said while speaking at the Midwest Ag Summit in West Fargo, North Dakota, on June 10, 2025.

Peterson served 15 terms in the U.S. House, representing Minnesota’s 7th District, and much of that time was spent in leadership on the House Agriculture Committee. He played a major role in crafting five farm bills during those years. After losing a re-election bid in 2020 , he helped form the Midwest Council on Agriculture, which works to provide a united voice for agriculture from the Midwest region.

The last farm bill he worked on was the 2018 farm bill — officially the “Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018.” The bill was signed in December 2018 and first expired on Sept. 30, 2023. After a couple extensions, it now is set again to expire on Sept. 30, 2025. The $428 billion bill laid out spending on nutrition (76%), crop insurance (9%), commodity programs (7.3%), and conservation (6.8%), with other programs making up the final 1%.

Despite the normal run of roundtable discussions about what’s needed in a new farm bill, as well as drafts from both the House and Senate, little movement has been made toward actually passing a new standalone farm bill. With important programs becoming outdated or facing expiration, Republicans in Congress have included some farm bill programs in budget reconciliation bills.

Budget reconciliation is a legislative process Congress designed to move certain budget-related bills without the 60-vote threshold to end a filibuster, instead allowing it to move on a simple majority vote. It's a more partisan process than typical, requiring cooperation only from the majority party.

“That’s a process that was set up to try to get around very close margins in the House and the Senate,” Peterson explained.

The House version of budget reconciliation, called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” includes extensions for some farm programs through 2031 and, according to the Congressional Budget Office, would increase spending on agriculture-facing programs by $56.6 billion through 2034. According to an American Farm Bureau Federation economic analysis, that increase largely would go to enhancements in the farm safety net, with $52.3 billion going toward reference price increases in Price Loss Coverage, or PLC, adjusted formulas for Agricultural Risk Coverage, or ARC, and expanded crop insurance support. The remaining $4.3 billion would go to trade promotion, rural school funding, livestock biosecurity, research and energy programs.

Peterson said “the farm stuff is not really controversial” in the bill. But the bill also contains cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — SNAP, formerly known as food stamps — which is more controversial. The bill would put more administrative costs onto states, too.

Peterson explained that nutrition programs are part of the farm bill, in part, to build a coalition of urban lawmakers who buy into the bill. That’s worked since the 1980s, he said. He’s skeptical that work requirements for SNAP for some adults would be hard to make work.

“Frankly in my opinion the government is not competent to do that,” he said.

The bill passed the House entirely on Republican votes, as is not unusual with budget reconciliation bills. That’s contrary to the way farm bills have historically passed with bipartisan support. Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., the top Democrat on the House Ag Committee, said putting farm bill programs in reconciliation “is threatening the farm bill coalition.”

“And we should’ve been trying to pass a five-year, 12-title farm bill rather than cutting SNAP by $300 billion, putting the stability and income it provides to family farmers in jeopardy,” she said in a June 11 hearing.

With the bill passed, the issue moved to the Senate, which crafted its own bill, with draft text released on June 11. While substantially similar to the House version’s ag provisions, the Senate version doesn’t shift quite as much SNAP burden to states.

U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., said the bill “takes a commonsense approach to reforming SNAP,” while addressing challenges faced by farmers and ranchers.

“This legislation delivers the risk management tools and updated farm bill safety net they need to keep producing the safest, most abundant and affordable food, fuel, and fiber in the world. It’s an investment in rural America and the future of agriculture,” Boozman said in a statement.

Problems in reconciliation

Peterson said a problem with lumping farm bill programs into reconciliation is that the rules of reconciliation limit what can be included in the bill. So called “orphan programs,” which he said include assistance for small farmers, organic agriculture, minority farmers and others, cannot be included. Other orphan programs, according to AFBF, have included things like sheep production and marketing grants, feral swine eradication and control, several bioenergy programs, and rural development loans, among others. Most of those programs already were not funded in the most recent farm bill extension.

Another issue, he said, is that a traditional farm bill is mandatory spending, not controlled by the appropriations committee.

“Once the ag committee passes it, that’s it. There’s no appropriations committee,” he said.

The budget reconciliation process gives more power to appropriations committees. But Peterson said the good thing is that ag has important allies on appropriations, most notably Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., who chairs Senate ag appropriations.

“So we have someone who understands this,” Peterson said. “Hoeven has been a big ally.”

Why it needs to get done

With the Senate taking up its own version of budget reconciliation, the matter may end up in a conference committee to iron out differences. Peterson expects some version of the bill will eventually pass, saying it’s “too big to fail.” He explained things like keeping the government funded and expanding the debt ceiling otherwise would need to be dealt with.

“There’s a lot riding on this thing,” he said.

Zach Gihorski, director of government affairs and sustainability for the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, also speaking on the same panel with Peterson at the Midwest Ag Summit, said the stakes are high, not just for farm bill programs. Numerous helpful tax provisions, mostly contained in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, would go away if not included in budget reconciliation, including the 199A pass-through business deductions, estate exemptions and accelerated depreciation.

“(Congress) not extending them would be devastating,” he said. “If they do not pass the package, basically, you’re going to have this giant tax increase on America.”

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Audit: Minnesota failed to investigate fraud complaints in child nutrition program

Deena Winter / Minnesota Reformer — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 21:18:27 GMT

The state’s legislative auditor found that the Minnesota Department of Education failed miserably in its duty to properly oversee millions of federal dollars it administered to nonprofits to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a special review by the Office of the Legislative Auditor released Thursday, June 13.

The audit examined how MDE administered a child nutrition program for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and found the agency’s inadequate oversight “created opportunities for fraud.”

Federal prosecutors have charged scores of Minnesotans with ripping off the federal program by at least $250 million in the nation’s largest pandemic fraud scheme. Federal prosecutors say they gave away very little food, but got paid millions of dollars, which they used to buy Porsches and Teslas, vacations in the Maldives and homes from Prior Lake to Kenya.

Prosecutors have charged 70 people so far with being part of the Feeding Our Future case, named after one of two nonprofits at the center of the scheme. Eighteen people have pleaded guilty, one fled the country, and five were convicted of bribery, money laundering and wire fraud charges last week. Two were acquitted.

The nonprofits Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition were supposed to oversee other vendors and nonprofits purporting to be giving away ready-to-eat meals at sites all over the state, but instead, prosecutors said they enabled and participated in the fraud, keeping a portion of the federal money doled out. Founded less than five years earlier, they grew from collecting a few million dollars a year before the pandemic to dispersing about $200 million each in 2021.

Auditors found MDE failed to act on warning signs even prior to the pandemic; didn’t exercise its authority to make Feeding Our Future follow program requirements; and was ill-prepared to respond to the issues it encountered with Feeding Our Future.

As far back as 2018, MDE was getting complaints about Feeding Our Future and its food distribution sites, receiving at least 30 complaints from mid-2018 through 2021. And although the agency is required by law to promptly investigate complaints or irregularities, it didn’t investigate some complaints about Feeding Our Future at all. When MDE did follow up on complaints, its investigations were inadequate, to the point where “MDE inappropriately asked Feeding Our Future to investigate complaints about itself,” the report said.

MDE’s procedures emphasized having the complainants and subjects resolve complaints on their own, the report said. The first step of their process was to share the complaint with the subject, so they could investigate their own conduct and try to resolve it without MDE intervention. When that didn’t work, MDE would make a formal report of the complaint, but again they gave the subject an opportunity to respond. This created a system ripe with potential for retaliation.

The legislative auditor found MDE failed in numerous ways to prevent the fraud, including:

By failing to use its authority to deny applications for the program years before the pandemic. By failing to verify statements made by the nonprofit Feeding Our Future before approving applications, especially “high-risk applicants.” By failing to follow-up on its 2018 review of Feeding Our Future’s child nutrition operations which raised concerns By only conducting limited off-site monitoring of food distribution sites.

MDE did stop payments to the nonprofit in 2021, but Feeding Our Future sued the state, alleging racial discrimination. Ramsey County District Judge John Guthmann ruled that the state couldn’t halt payments unless they found fraud, so MDE resumed payments.

In a written response to the report, Education Commissioner Willie L. Jett II said MDE’s oversight “met applicable standards” and the agency “made effective referrals to law enforcement.”

“What happened with Feeding Our Future was a travesty – a coordinated, brazen abuse of nutrition programs that exist to ensure access to healthy meals for low-income children,” he wrote. “The responsibility for this flagrant fraud lies with the indicted and convicted fraudsters.”

Jett said the department has made changes to strengthen its oversight, establishing an Office of Inspector General, adding a general counsel’s office, training staff on updated fraud-reporting policy, and contracting with a firm to conduct financial reviews of certain sponsors.

During the recent trial of seven defendants charged with defrauding the program, the director of Minnesota’s nutrition program acknowledged she got some pushback from her own supervisors when she raised concerns about suspiciously high reimbursement claims.

Emily Honer, director of nutrition program services for the MDE, testified that she quickly became suspicious of huge reimbursement requests and alerted her superiors, the USDA, and eventually, the FBI.

Honer testified that she was not aware of any MDE employees who went to the locations where people claimed to be serving unfathomable amounts of meals daily. She said her employees didn’t go to the sites because that was the responsibility of the nonprofit groups overseeing the vendors. And prosecutors said those nonprofits — Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition — enabled and participated in the fraud.

Honer said due to Feeding Our Future’s “very nasty lawsuit,” MDE employees were often hauled into court and had to follow MDE protocol of working through concerns with the nonprofit sponsors overseeing the sites.

Outside of a month where MDE payments were stopped to some sponsors, MDE kept paying reimbursement claims until the FBI investigation went public in January 2022.

Republicans have blamed the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and Gov. Tim Walz for failing to prevent the fraud. Walz has said the state’s hands were tied by a court order to resume payments, although Ramsey County District Judge John Guthmann disputed that in a rare rebuke.

Honer testified that MDE opted to waive in-person monitoring of sites, but could still do “desk audits.” But Honer said she didn’t do any desk audits and didn’t ask any of her subordinates to do them — despite concerns that prompted her to go first to the USDA Office of Inspector General, and then the FBI, in April 2021.

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Cannon Falls couple provides both entrees for Minneapolis �� Districts' Minnesota Thursdays

Noah Fish — Tue, 19 Mar 2024 12:00:00 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS — The lunch menu on March 7 at Minneapolis Public ��s included beef and cheddar sandwiches from BAMF Meats and plant-based sloppy joes from Deeply Rooted — both produced in Cannon Falls, Minnesota.

Bertrand Weber, director for Minneapolis Public �� Culinary and Nutrition Services, said once a month for the last 10 years, the school district celebrates "Minnesota Thursdays" over the lunch hour. Everything from entrees to desserts are sourced from around a 200-mile radius outside of the Twin Cities, Weber said.

"It's a celebration of local harvest, and we try to really showcase those items to our kids," Weber said. "The acceptance is different based on the grade level, but they always look forward to it on a regular basis."

On March 7, the menu consisted of a beef and cheddar sandwich from BAMF Meats in Cannon Falls with cheese from Bongards in Perham; a plant-based sloppy joe from Deeply Rooted in Cannon Falls; sweet potato JoJo from Fifth Season Cooperative in Viroqua, Wisconsin; cole slaw from Driftless Organics in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin; and a freezer pop from JonnyPops in Elk River.

The two entrees came from Kayla and Wade Beyer, who were on hand March 7 to enjoy the school lunch inside of Franklin Middle �� in north Minneapolis.

"Today was awesome," Kayla Beyer said after the lunch. "It really was like the pinnacle of the story we're trying to share. It's not all about just eating meat or all about eating a plant-based diet fully — it's about having better choices and making deliberate choices with every meal."

Wade Beyer is the owner and operator of BAMF Stock Farms in Cannon Falls. The calf-to-cow finishing operation runs about 200 head while also raising hogs and crops. Aside from the eight steers worth of roasts he sold to the Minneapolis schools, the farm has sold hamburger to the Pine Island �� District, which is about 20 miles outside of Rochester, for about a year.

"It was different, but they did a good job," Beyer said of eating the food he raised at a cafeteria table inside of Franklin Middle ��. "I thought it tasted great."

He said it can be a challenge for farmers to make the leap to sell to school districts and to know where to start that process.

"If it weren't for my wife, I probably wouldn't have done it," he said. "She's already familiar with that network."

Minnesota Grown, which the farm is a member of, is a place for schools to look if they are interested in connecting with local farms, Beyer said.

"Otherwise, just talking to your local schools, and go from there," Beyer said.

Kayla Beyer is founder and CEO of Deeply Rooted, which began around four years ago and provides shelf-stable plant-based crumble in flavors like Italian, Mexican and Korean barbecue. Consumers simply add water to the product, and she said that 4 ounces becomes 1 pound.

"I'm a food industry veteran who was working for big corporate America — big CPG brands — and wanted to start a food company that makes a bigger impact," said Beyer, a mom of five who grew up on a dairy farm. "I worked in mass manufacturing where I saw how processed food was, and so not only did I want to put a better product on the retail shelf, I wanted to put a better product on my kids' trays at school."

One call away

Beyer said the way she made the farm-to-school connection with Minneapolis Public ��s was by making a simple phone call to Weber, who told her exactly what the program needed for Deeply Rooted products to be served to students.

The crumble served at Minneapolis schools went through a sodium reduction process to meet USDA standards, which she said made the product taste better in her opinion.

"I tasted my original formula now and it's salty to me, so it's a very good change," she said. "We just lowered the sodium, the salt, and increased the other spices. So it wasn't a big deal for us to do that, and we did it willingly."

Beyer said unlike the many plant-based companies that have popped up in the past few years, she said Deeply Rooted has nothing against meat that's raised on a farm.

"I thought what a great opportunity to change that narrative and bring it from an agricultural perspective that I have had all these years," she said.

Another reason Beyer was interested in selling Deeply Rooted products to the K-12 market is that it's much larger than the retail space, she said. In retail, products like hers are targeted towards vegans and vegetarians, which she said the company's mission doesn't align with.

"There's nothing wrong with being a meat company, and there's nothing wrong with having a plant-based option," Beyer said. "Let's make it palatable, so it tastes good, and they actually come back for more."

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Cargill invests in fungi-based mycoprotein company that makes meat alternatives

Brooks Johnson / Star Tribune — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 03:19:57 GMT

Cargill is pouring more money into alternative proteins.

Just don't call this one plant-based.

The Minnesota-based agribusiness recently invested an undisclosed sum into Enough, a Scottish company rapidly expanding the use of fungi and fermentation to create meat-like mycoproteins (the "myco" comes from mycology, the study of mushrooms and fungi).

Enough makes a high-protein, high-fiber meat substitute out of yeast in a facility next door to a Cargill plant in the Netherlands. Cargill is already providing the company with grain sugars to feed the yeast in a process similar to making beer.

The brand Quorn pioneered the use of mycoproteins decades ago, and Hormel Foods partnered with mycoprotein maker The Better Meat Co. in 2021, though the category is still a sliver of alternative protein sales as the technology evolves.

"When you look at what's coming in this space, and how do we get things that are more nutritious, more healthful and with a better cost, taste and texture, this kind of checks all those boxes," Cargill's head of alternative proteins, Elizabeth Gutschenritter, said in a recent interview. "The fibrous nature of it really helps with texture, and it's got a really neutral profile."

Enough's signature product, Abunda, is sold to food manufacturers and can be used to replace chicken, red meat, seafood and dairy in finished products. Cargill has signed a commercial agreement to buy and market the ingredient and will help "co-create" consumer products with its customers.

The partnership has been years in the making for Belgin Kose, Cargill's managing director of global meat and dairy alternative solutions, who came across the company at a conference in London in 2019.

"I literally fell in love with what they were saying, thinking this is really unusual, this is really disruptive," she said. "This is an area where Cargill would like to grow further, and there's definitely momentum to propel us."

Unlike plant-based protein that may require processing and isolating ingredients, Enough's Abunda comes out as a solid biomass ready to be used as-is, reducing waste. Scaling fermentation operations is also easier than other approaches, Gutschenritter said.

The Scottish company opened its 160,000-square-foot facility in 2022 and has received more than $100 million in funding — recently doubling production to 20,000 tons a year.

That's about on par with recently built capacity at Colorado-based mycoprotein company Meati, which has also raised considerable venture dollars in recent years.

Enough will focus first on European customers but could expand to North America as early as next year, Kose said.

Mycoprotein sales are expected to triple in revenue over the next decade to nearly $1 billion, according to Future Market Insights. The research firm found mycoproteins today comprise about 5% of alternative protein sales.

Cargill's investment comes as sales growth in plant-based protein has slowed and breakout brands such as Beyond and Impossible have lost their early luster.

Kose said a convergence of trends like health, sustainability and "flexitarian" eating will keep the category growing long-term while new and old brands address texture, cost and nutrition.

"The market is in a state of flux," she said. "New technologies and new ingredients like mycoprotein will help on the sensory part, which is a big hurdle, but also on the cost. This is aiming to become something that will enable cost parity with animal counterparts."

The company sees alternatives to meat as a crucial part of its business — and meeting the globe's future protein needs.

"When we look at population growth, and just consumer demand for options, plant-based is going to be the vehicle for a lot of that," Gutschenritter said. "A 70% increase in protein demand over the next 30 years cannot be done with what we have now."

But Cargill, one of the nation's largest meatpackers, won't be turning away from animal agriculture.

"For us, it's always going to be about both."

(Star Tribune business editor Kristen Painter contributed to this story.)

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When it comes to climate warming, cow burps are no joke

Dan Gunderson / MPR News — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 19:14:00 GMT

MORRIS, Minn. — The dairy cows in an outdoor feedlot at the University of Minnesota in Morris eat a mix of hay, corn silage and grain.

But every day they also get an ounce of a seaweed harvested in Hawaii.

“This red seaweed has been shown to reduce methane by at least 40 percent, and maybe more,” said professor Brad Heins.

Heins knows that because he uses a device mounted on a small trailer to measure the methane when the cows burp.

The cows are trained to come to this device for some “cow candy” — small pellets of tasty corn. The computer reads a tag on the cow’s ear and dispenses the treats long enough to keep the cow’s nose in the sniffer for at least three minutes.

“You’re going to get maybe three to four good burps out of a cow during that time period, and that’s when the methane will peak quite high,” explained Heins.

The goal is to measure methane output from each cow seven to 10 times a day.

“I limit the cows. If they come in and get a collection, they can’t come in for another two hours. Otherwise, you’d get boss cows in there just eating pellets all day and you’re not getting methane measurements on other cows,” said Heins.

Methane is a byproduct of fermentation as cows digest their food. Methane is also released from liquid manure stored on farms, but cow burps are the largest source.

Production of methane changes based on a cow’s size, what they eat and even, according to research by Heins, by the time of day.

Methane is found at much lower levels than the primary greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, but it has a much greater impact on climate warming. Methane also cycles through the atmosphere much more quickly than carbon dioxide.

Experts believe making reductions now in methane could slow global warming and buy time for longer-term strategies to limit carbon dioxide emissions.

Seaweed is not the only feed additive being tested to adjust a cow’s gut microbiome to produce less methane.

Researchers are also looking to genetics. U of M researchers are beginning an investigation of methane production from cows in a special herd maintained in St. Paul.

“We have a small herd of 1964 genetic Holsteins in St. Paul, so they are basically frozen in time and their genetics are from the 1960s,” said Heins. “We can maybe see if there are genes regulating methane that are different in the 1960s versus today.

But it’s not clear when these potential solutions will be available outside of the research lab in barns and pastures.

“If it were simple and we could just feed a feed additive that would eliminate methane production, we would have done it 25 years ago,” said U of M assistant professor Isaac Salfer, who specializes in cow nutrition.

Salfer said unanswered questions include the cost of methane-reducing feed additives. Dairy farms operate on thin profit margins he said, and farmers are likely to reject costly additives.

And the microbes in a cow’s gut are not static, but rapidly evolving.

“So, when you feed these compounds, they reduce in efficacy over time. They might reduce methane production for one month. But after they’re fed for a month, the microbial population adapt.”

That would require farmers to regularly monitor methane from their cows, so they could switch feed additives if one becomes ineffective.

Salfer and Heins believe this work will lead to methane reduction, they just can’t say when that will happen. Heins said additives are not being used on farms now, and it will require a huge effort to scale up production of a product such as red seaweed to feed millions of cows across the country.

“We know that there’s a lot of targeted methane reductions that everybody wants to meet by 2030 or 2050. But a lot of this is in the early stages, especially from a feed supplement standpoint,” said Heins. “We probably need to ramp up our research a lot faster to be able to get to those dates and reduction targets.”

While Heins and other researchers look to feed additives and animal genetics to slow methane production in cows, Ben Lilliston worries the problem is getting worse.

“Our methane emissions are actually rising when it comes to agriculture both in Minnesota and around the country,” he said.

Lilliston is director of climate and rural strategies at the Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. He blames rising methane emissions on the shift from smaller to larger animal operations

“So even if you are able to reduce methane emissions by a marginal amount through the feed, if you continue to add animals to that system then that’s going to increase your absolute emissions,” Lilliston said.

Lilliston said methane emissions can be reduced by changing how large farms handle manure, and he thinks feed additives like seaweed hold promise in the future.

However, he’s convinced the only way to quickly limit methane is to reduce the number of cows, while acknowledging that’s a solution most Americans are unlikely to embrace.

“Can we start to think about how much milk we actually need to produce? And how much beef do we actually need to produce? We need to start having some of these tough conversations,” Lilliston said.

“Can we just do some tweaks to the current system of agriculture, and will that be enough, or do there need to be more serious and drastic steps taken?”

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Doubling emergency food funding is one goal of nutrition advocates in next farm bill

Jeff Beach — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 13:00:00 GMT

FARGO, N.D. — Nutrition advocates are calling on Congress to double the amount of funding for an emergency food program that is part of the federal farm bill.

At a press conference in Fargo, North Dakota, on Tuesday, Aug. 15, Melissa Sobolik, executive director of the Great Plains Food Bank, was part of a panel discussion on the need for strong nutrition programs in the farm bill.

Sobolik outlined three main requests:

Double the base funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program, also known as TEFAP, from $250 million to $500 million annually. Boost funding under TEFAP for storage and distribution of food. Strengthen SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps.

Congress will return to session after Labor Day with farm bill negotiations on the agenda. The last farm bill, based in 2018, is due to expire on Sept. 30, but can be extended if a new bill is not passed then.

TEFAP is the program that most directly provides resources to food banks like Great Plains, the only food bank in North Dakota, which can redistribute food to partner food pantries where individuals can obtain food.

Connie Wilson of the Lord’s Cupboard in Minot, North Dakota, also spoke Tuesday. “The USDA products we absolutely count on, a lot of that is the proteins that are needed,” she said.

On doubling TEFAP sending from $250 million to $500 million, “I hope that it isn’t seen as a huge ask,” Sobolik said. “Really it does seem like a small dollar amount when you think of the farm bill being like $1.5 trillion.”

The 2023 farm bill is expected to be first-ever to top $1 trillion in spending over five years.

TEFAP is adjusted for inflation. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, TEFAP food purchasing is to be approximately $445.5 million in fiscal year 2023.

On storage and trucking for food distribution, “Currently we are paying out of pocket for that,” Sobolik said.

Nutrition programs made up about 76% of the 2018 farm bill.

The biggest program funded by the farm bill is SNAP, and Sobolik would like to see an increase in the minimum dollar amount that people get for their benefits.

“Currently a SNAP recipient gets about $6.10 a day for all three meals, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t eat for that, so I think we need to take a look at what it actually costs to eat in our nation,” Sobolik said.

Earlier in August, the Minnesota Farmers Union, Minnesota Farm Bureau and nutrition advocates also called for strong nutrition programs during a press conference on Aug. 2 during Farmfest near Redwood Falls, Minnesota.

“When hard times hit, whether it’s the rural community or the urban community, people turn to SNAP and it needs to be strong,” said Colleen Moriarity, executive director, Hunger Solutions, St. Paul.

One example of a person falling on hard times was Kathleen O’Neill of Fargo. While she is back on her feet now, there was a time when a roommate moved out suddenly, taking most of the food from the residence with them.

“For the first time in my adult life, I had no idea what I was going to do, or how long what little food I had left was going to last,” she said.

She was able to apply for SNAP assistance online.

“I know without a doubt that had the services the farm bill provides not been available to me, there would have been several days I would have chosen to go hungry rather than ask for help,” she said.

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Study finds moms who experienced food insecurity as children convey unhealthy feeding practices to their kids

Paul John Scott — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 16:30:00 GMT

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Researchers have learned that mothers who experienced food insecurity during childhood are more likely to convey feeding lessons to their children that contribute to obesity. The study is believed to add to the evidence for a mechanism behind the trans-generational association of obesity and poverty.

"If you grew up not having enough, or in situations of feast and famine, you learn that when it's there, you eat it or you squirrel it away," said lead author Dr. Sara Lappan. "... What gets passed along to children is some of that anxiety — will we be able to eat, what will we be able to eat — and that the food may not be there for long so eat it while you can."

The study, published online this week in the journal Family & Community Health by a team from the University of Alabama and Alliant International University, looked at the feeding practices of 103 low-income single mothers as determined by their answers to The U.S. Household Food Security Survey and the Child Feeding Questionnaire.

Mothers who endorsed experiencing food insecurity in the present or as children were more likely than those who had not experienced scarcity to pressure their children to eat more. Mothers who'd experienced scarcity in the present were also more likely to worry that their child was overweight, reflecting their recognition that inconsistent access to food had steered the household towards energy-dense, low-nutrient foods.

Lappan said her work as a couples and family therapist led her to investigate the question of whether food scarcity in childhood predicted lessons such as the need to eat food that is available, even if ignoring bodily signals of hunger or satiety.

"As adults we have learned from our family of origin and are influenced by our historical experiences that brought us to where we are today ... I don't think we really give enough credence to where we came from ... in the mental health field we conceptualize this as trauma.

"When you didn't have a basic human need met like food ... when you had a very inconsistent relationship with this thing that keeps you alive, I think there's a real lack of understanding of what that does to somebody."

Lappan believes the findings are helpful for therapeutic benefit and hold the potential to become included in screening measures to identify mothers at risk.

"When you can make connections for those adults into their childhood, it really helps make sense of their behaviors ... It can be really powerful and helpful for the individual."

1 in 3 households with a single mom

Food insecurity, or the lack of steady access to food sufficient to meet nutritional needs, is experienced by one in 10 households in the U.S., according to the researchers. It is believed to afflict nearly 1 in 3 households headed by a single woman and is associated with a five-fold higher rate of obesity.

Lappan says adults often retain salient memories of deprivation during childhood.

"When they would reflect back on their experiences as a children they would remember going to bed hungry, or maybe overhearing their caregivers struggle deciding which bill to pay," she said. "They would watch their caregivers not eat while they ate."

Lappan says one element of food insecurity often overlooked is the way it steers families toward eating patterns based upon low-quality processed food, diets that are increasingly the object of health warnings from dietary authorities.

"I think the narrative is that they are out there buying lobster and that's why the money doesn't last," she said. "In our experience these women are really cognizant of those messages and trying to make what they have stretch as far as they can ... I'm not going to get fresh green beans which go bad in a week if I can get canned green beans that can last months and months.

"So this message that they need to eat fresh fruits and fresh meat and introduce all these things into a diet — that really isn't relevant. It doesn't take the context into consideration."

Lappan said common narratives blaming the poor for obesity reflect a larger societal failure to address factors linking poverty and obesity, including poor access to healthy food, and now an inter-generational component in the form of food insecurity.

She points to the absence of fresh foods in low income neighborhoods populated by fast food and convenience stores as some of the structural barriers that have created "a David and Goliath problem" faced by mothers in poverty hoping to feed their children healthy fare.

"When we put the ownership of the problem on the individual we really ignore, maybe on purpose, maybe inadvertently, the larger system that really fails people. It's created by our policies, and infrastructure planning. It's not as simple as eat less, move more. That is a really ill-informed position to take on this."

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Your brain on food: Exploring the link between diet and mental health

Barbie Porter — Sat, 28 May 2022 15:00:00 GMT

DETROIT LAKES, Minn. — A link between what people consume and their mental health has become more apparent in the medical profession.

Delores Alleckson, a nurse practitioner at Essentia Health in Detroit Lakes who specializes in psychology and is certified as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, often sees people with a variety of mood disorders.

With more than a dozen years of primarily outpatient care, Alleckson said some disorders require medications, while others can be addressed with dietary changes, or a combination of both.

Alleckson explained food additives, such as artificial sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup or gluten can wreak havoc inside the body and reduce the ability to absorb vital nutrients.

Gluten, which is found in wheat, beer and pasta, can take up to six months to fully expel from one’s system, she said. In the meantime, one may experience fatigue, anemia, diarrhea and bloating.

“But after you stop eating it you may feel better within a month,” Alleckson said. “If you eat something while you’re cleaning your body, your body will tell you it is not good. It happened to me. I was in a rush and ate a chicken salad with sour cream on it. Before I started eating better, I couldn’t get enough sour cream on my potatoes. After eating it on the salad, my mouth was sore.”

When the body is not able to absorb nutrients there can be health effects, such as weight loss, anemia, memory problems and more.

For example, Alleckson explained that people on a vegan diet (particularly children and teens), risk being deficient in Vitamin B12. Those with a B12 deficiency (which is found in beef, chicken and liver) may suffer from fatigue, depression, pale appearance and anxiety.

It is not just foods that create health concerns. While coffee is still a popular go-to, many are switching to energy drinks. Both can cause people to feel angry, impulsive and even lead to sleep deprivation, she said.

"People are sorely lacking in water intake," she said, noting those who add flavor enhancers to the water should look at the ingredients, as it is often “cringe worthy.”

“People go to a hotel and think it is fabulous when they have water with cucumbers or lemons,” she said. “You can do that at home, and once you drink more water you will feel so much better. We should be drinking six to eight 8-ounce glasses a day.”

When a patient comes in for help, Alleckson said, a biochemical individualized test can be done to determine if there is a vitamin deficiency. Anyone interested in finding out more about how diet and mental health are linked should ask their primary care provider for a referral.

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U.S. House panel to investigate infant milk formula shortage

Doina Chiacu / Reuters — Fri, 13 May 2022 12:50:25 GMT

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Oversight Committee plans to investigate a nationwide baby formula shortage and will seek records from the four largest manufacturers, ABC News reported on Friday, May 13, citing letters from the committee chairwoman.

"The national formula shortage poses a threat to the health and economic security of infants and families in communities across the country - particularly those with less income who have historically experienced health inequities, including food insecurity," U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney, who leads the committee, wrote in letters to Abbott Nutrition, Mead Johnson Nutrition, Nestle USA and Perrigo, ABC reported.

Maloney told ABC the committee is asking the companies for a briefing by the end of the month and wants to know: Do they have enough supply to meet demand? Is there a supply chain problem that can be fixed and how can they make sure this will not happen again?

The investigation, which the report said will look at potential price gouging among other issues, is the latest move in Washington to address the shortage.

U.S. President Joe Biden met on Thursday with executives from infant formula manufacturers and retailers, pressing them to do everything possible to get families access.

Two other House of Representatives committees have announced hearings on the shortage.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration will announce new steps in the coming days on importing certain infant formula products, the White House said, and Biden has asked the Federal Trade Commission to probe reports of predatory conduct such as price gouging.

Formula shortages because of a factory being taken offline have been compounded by supply chain snags and historic inflation, leaving about 40% of baby formula products out of stock nationwide, according to data firm Datasembly.

Less than half of babies born in the United States were exclusively breastfed through their first three months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2020 Breastfeeding Report Card showed.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; editing by John Stonestreet and Chizu Nomiyama)

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Nutrition: What you need to know about coffee

Kaddie Lombard, For the News Tribune — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 14:55:00 GMT

Coffee is a beverage that many of us start the day with and look forward to. There’s nothing like smelling a fresh cup of joe to start your day and getting to use your favorite mug.

Whether your coffee routine is making a fresh pot before you run out the door, running through a drive-thru for your coffee fix, or looking forward to socializing with friends at a local coffee shop, coffee is one of those things that can make our days feel complete.

New research suggests that coffee does have health benefits. Studies have found possible relationships between coffee and decreased mortality, and may offer some protection against type 2 diabetes, liver disease, heart attack, stroke and Parkinson’s disease. Coffee is also known to be rich in antioxidants that are known to help neutralize free radicals.

Although coffee may provide some health benefits, it’s important to remember coffee is a stimulant with potential health risks to consider, too (mainly related to caffeine content). Note that coffee can raise blood pressure and poses greater risks to women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Some individuals are also more prone to experience certain side effects such as insomnia, heartburn and increased anxiety.

Coffee intake carries both pros and cons when it comes to health, but sticking to a reasonable amount can allow you to enjoy this delicious drink while avoiding the cons.

So, what’s reasonable? The FDA recommends no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day. This adds up to about four or five cups of regular brewed coffee. For those who are pregnant, the recommendations are to consume no more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day. You should also know that different brews hold different amounts of caffeine. This has to do with the volume of beans and longevity they’re roasted.

Many reach for a dark roast thinking that it has more caffeine; however, it has just the opposite. Dark-roast coffee beans are roasted at higher temperature for a longer time creating a less-caffeinated and less-dense product. Light-roast beans are roasted for a shorter period of time leaving behind a finer body and higher caffeine amount.

For those who don’t tolerate caffeine well, you still can enjoy some of coffee’s delicious flavors from decaf coffee. One cup has about 2 milligrams of caffeine.

When entering a coffee house, you’ll find a handful of standard drinks offered from place to place. If you’re looking to try something other than a go-to drip coffee, here are a few coffee drink staples you may consider to switch up your next coffee order.

Espresso: Pronounced “uh-spreh-sow,” not “expresso,” is served in a dainty 3-ounce espresso cup, otherwise known as a demitasse cup. This beverage is small but packed with a punch. If you enjoy a bold flavor, that’s quick and to the point, a shot of espresso is a great choice. This beverage is a much more concentrated form of coffee containing about 65 milligrams of caffeine per shot. Some consider espresso to be more bitter than drip coffee, but it really brings out the sweet, toasty and acidic flavors the coffee bean can offer.

Americano: This is a gold standard. It’s simply espresso and hot water and is sometimes served with cold or steamed milk. If you enjoy drip coffee but are looking to ramp up the flavor and aren’t quite ready to order a shot of espresso, an Americano is an excellent option.

Cappuccino: This coffee drink is created with one-third espresso, one-third steamed milk and one-third milk froth on top. Traditionally, cappuccinos are served in a 6-ounce cup. The thick and airy layer of foam on top adds to the luxury of the drink adding a velvety texture. If you’re a fan of the heavier foam consistency, know that whole milk holds that velvet-like texture best, but you can choose sacrifice for lower-fat milk. This will create a delicate foam that is quicker to dissolve.

Latte: A latte is very similar to a cappuccino but has less foam and more steamed milk. It’s an art to craft the perfect frothed milk by incorporating the right amount of air. This helps baristas make those beautiful designs on top of your drink. Lattes can come in an array of sizes and can also be served over ice. If you’re watching your intake of saturated fats, consider asking for skim milk or another low-fat alternative. If you are watching your blood sugars, note that you may want to consider sugar free syrups over the regular. One pump of syrup is roughly 6-10 grams of sugar.

Kaddie Lombard is a clinical dietitian at St. Luke's.]]>