Food Systems

Investigation

Homesteading Is a Viral Trend, but ‘Butchery Gone Awry’ Is Its Dark Side

A growing number of backyard farmers confess they have no idea what they’re doing.

Food•6 min read

Perspective

Does Veganism Kill More Animals? The Argument, Decoded

One popular defense of a meat-heavy diet is the “crop death” argument, but does the evidence actually stack up?

Food•6 min read

Reported

Hot? Hungry? Step Inside These Food Forests.

In cities like Tucson, Arizona, neighbors are planting trees to provide shade — and food.

Food•7 min read

Sentient’s Most-Read Stories of 2023

Our most-read stories and biggest shout-outs from the year

Food•1 min read

Reported

The Future of Lab-Grown Meat? In the Netherlands, It’s Locally Grown.

A new Dutch public-private partnership brings together cultivated meat companies with farmers.

Food•8 min read

Explainer

What Food Justice Is and Why It Matters, Explained

The food justice movement seeks to create a fair and sustainable food system.

Food•9 min read

Explainer

What Are Food Deserts and Why Do They Exist?

A key source of food injustice and insecurity in the United States, explained.

Food•9 min read

Explainer

What Monoculture Farming Is, and Why It Matters

Monoculture impacts our food system and environment — but most people have only a vague idea what it entails.

Food•10 min read

Explainer

What Does the FDA Do? 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ensures the country's food, medical and cosmetic products are safe.

Food•9 min read

Perspective

The Fascinating Plant-based History of the Diné People

Often called Navajo, the Diné people were best known for herding sheep. Yet this Indigenous tribe originally ate a plant-rich diet of crops like beans, corn and squash.

Food•7 min read

Explainer

What Is a Food System?

Food systems refer to different ways societies organize the production and distribution of food. While some types put a strain on the planet, others have a smaller impact.

Food•8 min read

Explainer

Insect Farming: What Types of Bugs Are Farmed?

Each year, over a trillion insects are farmed for human consumption.

Food•10 min read

Perspective

We Asked ChatGPT How to Fix Our Food System

What does ChatGPT think about factory farming?

Food•21 min read

Analysis

Sentient Media’s 2022 Year in Review

Top posts from 2022 and more.

Food•7 min read

Explainer

Commercial Fishing: What You Need to Know

The global commercial fishing industry is valued at $150 billion per year. Here's why it's wrecking the planet.

Food•12 min read

Reported

How Senegalese Fish End Up in Factory Farms

Exploiting wild fisheries for animal feed disturbs marine ecosystems, drives food insecurity and supplies an industry responsible for massive environmental pollution.

Food•7 min read

Reported

From Meat to Plant-Based, One Factory at a Time

Finland's Meeat Food Tech is accelerating food system change by converting existing meat facilities into plant-based protein factories.

Food•9 min read

Investigation

Here’s What Happens Behind Closed Doors at an Intensive Goat Dairy

A new undercover investigation by Animal Justice Project shows how goats are treated on a large dairy farm.

Food•5 min read

Perspective

Sentient Media Podcast: The Need for A More Humane Food System With Vox Staff Writer Kenny Torrella

In this episode, Vox staff writer Kenny Torrella discusses celebrity fails, when plant-based food tastes bad, and what a perfect future might look like.

Food•43 min read

Reported

Supermarkets Step in to Rescue Britain’s Pig Farms

British supermarkets are pouring millions of pounds into the UK’s beleaguered pig farming sector. Experts fear it may only make the problem worse.

Food•6 min read

Reported

New Food Strategy Could Be ‘Massive Win’ for UK Farmers and Animals

A new national strategy hopes to modernize the UK's food system by encouraging animal farmers to transition to more sustainable farming methods.

Food•5 min read

Reported

‘Food Over Feed’: War in Ukraine Highlights Need for Dietary Change

Russia’s attack on Ukraine has caused the price of animal feed to skyrocket, intensifying food insecurity in much of the global south.

Food•5 min read

Perspective

What Would Happen if the U.S. Banned Factory Farming?

Meat, dairy, and eggs are woven into the fabric of American life and have been for as long as most will remember. But that, too, can change.

Food•8 min read

Reported

Cory Booker: ‘Climate Movement Doesn’t Talk Enough About Food’

Sen. Cory Booker wants to end the uncontrolled expansion of factory farming in the U.S., and he's looking to the climate movement for help.

Food•2 min read

Reported

Spanish Politician Sparks Fierce Debate Over Future of Factory Farming

Alberto Garzón recently called out his nation’s factory farming industry for being unsustainable. The criticisms were long overdue.

Food•3 min read

Perspective

Why It’s So Hard to Prevent Disease Outbreaks on Factory Farms

It's almost impossible to keep a factory farm free of disease. Culling doesn't always work. Antibiotics have their own host of problems, and vaccines do too.

Food•4 min read

Investigation

America’s Food Safety System Failed to Stop a Salmonella Epidemic. It’s Still Making People Sick.

For years, a dangerous salmonella strain has sickened thousands and continues to spread through the chicken industry. The USDA knows about it. So do the companies. And yet, contaminated meat…

Food•41 min read

Explainer

The Future of Food: Can We Build a Sustainable Food System?

To feed the world, food production simply has to change, and the growing climate crisis is making this change far more urgent.

Food•1 min read

Explainer

Meat, Money, and Politics: Inside Big Ag’s Struggle to Feed the World

The meat industry is controlled by a few deeply connected corporations that wreak havoc on the planet and exploit workers and marginalized communities without consequence.

Food•2 min read

Explainer

Is Industrial Agriculture Really Making the World a Better Place?

Given the many negative impacts that industrial agriculture has on the environment, health, and animal welfare, its place in society is coming into question.

Food•10 min read

Explainer

The Future of Food Has to Be More Sustainable—Here’s Why

Our current food system is fueled by factory farming. That needs to change—and fast—if we are going to feed 10 billion people by 2050.

Food•12 min read

Perspective

We Should All Be Worried About the United Nations Food Systems Summit

A battle for the future of food is underway. The UN is facing heavy criticism over its corporate ties and lack of inclusivity ahead of the Food Systems Summit later…

Food•11 min read

Perspective

Why California Cities Should Divest from Factory Farms

Berkeley recently became the first city in California to urge the state's $444-billion pension fund to divest from the factory farming industry. Will San Francisco and Los Angeles follow suit?

Food•4 min read

Perspective

The Food System on Mars: Humanity’s Do-Over?

Mars gives us a chance to start over and leave many of Earth's worst practices behind. While it sounds far-fetched, life on the red planet will almost certainly be free…

Food•5 min read

Reported

Subsidized Slaughter: The Role of the State in Animal Agriculture

You can walk into a McDonald’s anywhere in the U.S. and buy a burger for $1. The plant-based alternative is far more expensive. Have you ever stopped to wonder why?

Food•6 min read

Perspective

The Food System of Tomorrow: A Call to Action

If we want to build a healthier, greener, kinder, more sustainable future that gets us closer to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we must follow a new path.

Food•12 min read

Perspective

Sentient Media Podcast: Jian Yi, Founder of the Good Food Fund

Sentient Media sat down with Jian Yi, founder of the Good Food Fund, a Chinese food sustainability and health NGO that promotes a plant-based diet.

Food•30 min read

Analysis

Our Food Systems Are Complicated. Food Data Doesn’t Have to Be.

Researchers made a “Google Maps” for global food systems. Could it help us tackle food’s thorniest problems?

Food•6 min read

Perspective

Future of Food: How It’s Changing and Why That’s Important

The future of food is unpredictable, but the prognosis isn’t all bad. People are adaptable, and change isn’t always a bad thing.

Climate•9 min read

Perspective

$100 Million Financing for Plant-Based Protein? Let’s Talk About Billions for Animal Ag

By diverting federal funding for animal agriculture to the growing plant-based protein market, we can build a more ethical and resilient food system.

Food•8 min read

Reported

COVID-19 Exposes Flaws in Animal Protein Production

The food system is on the verge of collapse. To avoid future disruptions, we cannot continue using animals to mass-produce meat, dairy, and eggs.

Food•4 min read

Perspective

Corruption and Exploitation: Brazil’s Position in the Global Food System

Brazil plays a major role in the global food supply. But with rampant corruption and disregard for human rights, animal, and environmental issues, Bolsonaro's Brazil has become a global threat.

Food•10 min read