Welcome to FERN’s Friday Feed (#FFF), where we share the stories from this week that made us stop and think.
The illusion of healthy chips
Vox
Healthy chips have become omnipresent, and some shoppers may think they’re better for them than standard potato chips. But are they? “Vegetable chip alternatives, by their packaging (earthy and highbrow, which you can tell because the bags are generally matte) and their nutritional brags (more protein! more fiber!), are positioned as snacks to feel good about, or at least okay about,” writes Rachel Sugar. “Are there differences? Sure, yes. Are the differences meaningful? Not quite.”
How intensive farming is poisoning drinking water in rural America
The Wall Street Journal
Nitrates from farm runoff are poisoning the drinking water in some rural communities. Nitrate contamination has risen significantly in 21 percent of sites surveyed by the U.S. Geological Service between 2002 and 2012, and more than 16 percent of groundwater sampled from wells in the same period contained nitrate concentrations over the federal limit. “Among factors producing contaminants: fewer, more-intensively worked farms, bigger cows and shifting crop mixes,” write Jesse Newman and Patrick McGroarty.
The rise of ‘Foodgod’ … and the end of civilization
Los Angeles Times
“Foodgod has flourished in the social media world, where bloggers and influencers reach out to restaurants for free meals and other perks in exchange for Instagram posts,” write Jenn Harris and Andrea Chang. “It’s a world where people … turn to their social feeds for where and what to eat next — to watch an epic #noodlepull or a litter box-sized ice cream sundae being devoured. Where people like Cheban can invent a persona like Foodgod and — with the right amount of Kardashian adjacency — appoint themself a preeminent tastemaker.”
Got a corn allergy? Stay away from, well, everything.
The Atlantic
For those with acute corn allergies, a litany of products can trigger a reaction — from soap to milk to IV drips. Doctors are just starting to understand how to treat such patients, for whom daily routines — and, of course, diets — often must be upended once the allergy is identified. “The diet of someone with a severe corn allergy is in some ways the ideal diet for a certain type of foodie: fresh, local, free of preservatives and processed foods, the provenance of every ingredient intensely cataloged,” writes Sarah Zhang. “It’s just not exactly by choice.”
The ethics of eating at restaurants linked to sexual harassment allegations
The Washington Post
A recently released guide to ethical eating recommends a restaurant owned by Charlie Hallowell, a chef who has been accused by more than 30 women of sexual harassment. After criticism for including Pizzaiolo, Hallowell’s restaurant, in the guide, its publisher is further investigating Hallowell’s involvement in the business and considering pulling its recommendation. “The controversy highlights the inherent challenge of a self-auditing system of selecting restaurants worthy of being in a guide designed to celebrate and promote ethical eating,” writes Sarah Henry.