Explainer
Trump’s Plan to Lower Egg Prices, Explained
“What they're suggesting conceptually makes sense. Practically, it is not a solution.”
Policy•11 min read
Explainer
Explainer
What ‘Food Desert’ Means — and Why the Term Is Misleading
New research outlines the anti-Black and anti-Indigenous assumptions of the term.
Health•7 min read
Explainer
Why Eating Local Isn’t a Climate Solution
It’s about what you eat, not how it got there.
Climate•7 min read
Explainer
How Many Chickens Are Killed Every Year?
The avian flu outbreak has resulted in even more dead poultry than usual.
Food•9 min read
Explainer
Why Carbon Offsets Often Don’t Work, Explained
A nice idea in theory is too often a loophole in practice.
Mythbusting•12 min read
Explainer
Why Red Food Dye Is Banned, but Processed Meat Is Still Sold Without a Warning
We won’t see warning labels on meat anytime soon.
Health•9 min read
Explainer
4 Potential Climate Solutions — and Their Viability
Eating less meat is one of the most straightforward approaches, but it’s also harder to implement.
Climate•13 min read
Explainer
Agriculture — Especially Cattle Feed — Uses Most of Earth’s Freshwater
The agricultural industry is responsible for 70 percent of freshwater withdrawals globally, intensifying water scarcity and fueling wildfire risks.
Climate•7 min read
Explainer
How Wildfires Affect Animals, Explained
A look at the impact of fires in California, and beyond.
Climate•7 min read
Explainer
Trump Halts Government Agency Communication, Making Bird Flu Even More Precarious
Amid ongoing outbreaks, the flow of vital information between public health organizations ceases.
Policy•4 min read
Explainer
Why Eggs Are So Expensive Right Now, Explained
A mix of reasons — avian flu, inflation and shifting demand are all partly to blame.
Food•7 min read
Explainer
The Media Is Obsessed with Ultra-Processed Foods in 2025 — but Coverage Is Missing the Forest for the (Broccoli) Trees
Health coverage continues to mostly overlook climate impact from food.
Mythbusting•9 min read
Explainer
Farmers Are Feeding Candy to Animals, and It’s a Symptom of Larger Issues
Touted as sustainable, the practice brings up questions about surplus and waste.
Food•8 min read
Explainer
How Overconsumption Affects the Environment and Health, Explained
You likely contribute to overconsumption in ways you might not realize.
Climate•12 min read
Explainer
Understanding Climate Change’s Toll on Nature and Animals
The main driver of biodiversity loss is land conversion due to agriculture.
Climate•6 min read
Explainer
What To Expect from Congress on Ag & Climate Now That Republicans Are in Control
A few informed predictions.
Policy•7 min read
Explainer
Veganuary Challenge Continues To See Growth in 2025
The pledge’s potential impact, explained.
Diet•7 min read
Explainer
Farm Bill’s Fate Hangs in the Balance as Congress Returns
Here’s what to expect as lawmakers hash out a new Farm Bill.
Policy•8 min read
Explainer
Is Prop 12 Under Threat With Republicans in Control?
What a Republican majority means for the country’s strongest animal welfare law.
Policy•10 min read
Explainer
How Revolving Door Politics Corrupt Food Systems
The same people running corporations are hired to run government agencies.
Meat Lobby•10 min read
Explainer
How Trump’s USDA, EPA & HHS Appointees Will Affect Food Systems
While much is still speculative, here’s what we might expect.
Policy•12 min read
Explainer
How Good People Do Bad Things to Animals
The psychology of animal abuse at livestock auctions and slaughterhouses.
Research•8 min read
Explainer
E. Coli Outbreaks & Factory Farms in the U.S. Are Largely Inextricable
It always comes back to poop.
Health•11 min read
Explainer
10 Reasons Not To Eat Turkey This Thanksgiving
From animal welfare to environmental impact, here are some reasons to opt out.
Health•9 min read
Explainer
Turkey Lifespan: How Long Do Turkeys Live Before Slaughter?
Turkeys can live over a decade in the wild. But on farms, they’re slaughtered as young as 12 weeks old.
Food•5 min read
Explainer
Who Is Brooke Rollins, Trump’s Agriculture Secretary Pick?
Rollins lacks experience — but industry groups are hopeful.
Election 2024•3 min read
Explainer
Your Thanksgiving Meal’s Climate Impact, in 4 Charts
The single dish with the highest carbon footprint is not the meat — it’s the mac n cheese.
Climate•4 min read
Explainer
How Microplastics Get Into Meat — and Everything Else We Eat
Microplastics have become part of the food chain.
Health•4 min read
Explainer
For Opponents of Factory Farms, Election Night Was a Mixed Bag
One ballot measure passed — Measure J and a Denver ordinance didn’t. What’s next?
Election 2024•8 min read
Explainer
Why ‘Food Apartheid’ Is a Better Term Than ‘Food Desert’
How the language we use to talk about food justice matters.
Food•6 min read
Explainer
‘Climate Smart’ Policies Might Not Actually Be Helping the Climate
A closer look reveals a lack of transparency, and potentially negative effects.
Climate•8 min read
Explainer
Why Methane Is Bad for Climate Change, and What the Government Is Doing About It
Biden has addressed methane emissions. Here’s what we might expect from Trump.
Climate•10 min read
Explainer
Why the McDonald’s E. Coli Outbreak Still Comes Back to Meat
Onions are at the center of a nationwide outbreak — but the source comes back to beef.
Health•8 min read
Explainer
Why Dairy Is Hiding in So Many Foods, Explained
The U.S. government has a lot to do with it.
Food•11 min read
Explainer
How Climate Change Misinformation and Apathy Helped Trump Win
Trump’s win shows that misinformation is here to stay.
Election 2024•6 min read
Explainer
Measure J & Other Ballot Measures to Ban Slaughterhouses, Explained
A look inside activists’ new strategy to ban factory farming.
Election 2024•14 min read
Explainer
Trump’s Climate Change & Factory Farming Policies: What to Expect From His Win
His second term is bad news for combating climate change.
Election 2024•10 min read
Explainer
Weather Conspiracy Theories: How Misinformation Distracts from Climate Reality
The far-right’s claims about recent hurricanes, debunked.
Mythbusting•7 min read
Explainer
Do Government Subsidies Make Meat Cheaper? Yes, but With Some Important Caveats
A relatively simple question doesn’t have a simple answer.
Meat Lobby•10 min read
Explainer
Where JD Vance Stands on Factory Farming and Meat
His policy record holds a few clues.
Election 2024•7 min read
Explainer
Trump & RFK’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Slogan, Examined
Unfortunately, Trump’s policies as president often had the opposite result.
Election 2024•9 min read
Explainer
How to Spot Misinformation and Bias About Climate and Food in the News
Tips for recognizing common red flags and improving your media literacy.
Mythbusting•9 min read
Explainer
Debunking the ‘Soy Boy’ Myth, With Science
What the research actually says about the effects of soy on men.
Mythbusting•9 min read
Explainer
How Milk Became a Core Food for Kids, Even Though It’s Hard for Many to Digest
Why dairy milk became so entrenched in American children's diets.
Health•9 min read
Explainer
Getting People to Eat Plant-Based Foods Is Hard — but Why, Exactly?
The socioeconomic and psychological barriers preventing a more sustainable food system.
Health•8 min read
Explainer
Why Are Alternative Milks More Expensive Than Dairy?
The economics of that oat milk cappuccino surcharge.
Diet•9 min read
Explainer
The Deep History of Racism and Speciesism Behind ‘They’re Eating the Dogs’
Tracing the history of a particularly harmful myth.
Election 2024•7 min read
Explainer
What the Slow Food Movement Is — and Whether It’s Actually Better for People and the Planet
The global movement is against factory farming — and is also against one of its potential solutions.
Food•7 min read
Explainer
Where Trump Stands on Animal Welfare and Factory Farming
We know he loves meat — but what does his policy history reveal?
Election 2024•10 min read
Explainer
Walz, Meat and Masculinity, Maybe Not-So-Redefined
The VP candidate is said to represent a new kind of American masculinity — but meat remains an old stronghold.
Election 2024•11 min read
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Most Read Today
•- Trump’s Plan to Lower Egg Prices, Explained
- Is Veganism Really Growing? Using Data to Track the Trend
- What Is Sustainable Agriculture?
- Animal Testing for Cosmetics Is Still (Unnecessarily) Common
- Why Eggs Are So Expensive Right Now, Explained
- Agriculture Affects Deforestation Much More Than Most People Realize
- Overfishing Harms the Environment. Here’s How to Stop It.
- Is This the Beginning of the End for Foie Gras?
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Sentient investigates and explains factory farms and their effect on climate, the environment, animals, health, politics and rural communities.