Editor’s Desk: A multimedia dissection of ultraprocessed food
By Theodore Ross
FERN’s latest special series, “The Problem with Ultraprocessed Foods,” published last week in partnership with Inverse, with five stories on a food category that we assert has come to “dominate the national conversation on nutrition”:
- *Jane Black dissects the label of an ultraprocessed breakfast bar, revealing some less savory truths about its 38 ingredients.
- *Paul Greenberg hunts in vain for the elusive “bounce” of real shrimp in the ultraprocessed vegan versions of America’s favorite seafood.
- *Matt Gross makes it clear that unless you’re an elite athlete, the ultraprocessed goos, gels, and performance drinks calibrated for elite athletes really aren’t very good for you
- *Claire Maldarelli interviews nutrition icon Marion Nestle, who makes plain her views on ultraprocessed foods: “To me, it’s junk food.”
- *Tom Philpott traces the roots of ultraprocessed foods to America’s agricultural heartland — and generations of decisions by federal policymakers and major corporations.
At FERN, we are committed to the special series format, which is designed to approach a contentious topic within the food system with argument-based stories from different perspectives. We do this because we know that hard problems don’t always come with simple solutions. The special series is our way of thinking through problems in real time.
To accompany the series, FERN commissioned a collection of social media videos from noted content creator Cory Bradford. Cory is a smart and funny commentator on history and politics, and his adaptations of our stories represent a new form of expression for FERN. Two of them have been released already, and are available on Cory’s TikTok and Instagram feeds. You can also find them on FERN’s instagram and YouTube destinations. He’ll continue releasing videos for a couple more weeks, and I hope you’ll watch them and share them.
Working with Cory is part of FERN’s goal of presenting our work to different audiences in the ways they choose to get their information. I’ve written a bit in previous newsletters about our expansion into multiformat journalism, with partnerships in audio and text, and now social video. We’re going to do more of these projects in the future, including more content for this series in other formats in the coming weeks. Keep an eye (and an ear) out.
It is important for all of us at FERN to know if our new projects and approaches to journalism are having an impact. Do you, as part of our audience, understand what we’re up to — and what do you think about it? Let us know. Send us an email, or a message on any of our social media platforms. We want to hear.
You can also speak with your donations. We cannot do what we do at FERN without financial support from people like you, who care about the food system, and who want to join us in making a difference. Please consider making a donation today.