Policy, institutional, economic, and technology trends shaping food and farming systems.
“Are the supplements recommended by XX, the influencer nutritionist, actually effective?” a friend asked me quietly at a dinner party. As a Registered Dietitian in the US, I have long grown accustomed to acting as my friends’ “last line of defence” on all things nutrition—whenever a high-profile creator’s recommendations are…
I. The Sudden Mulch Film Crisis Spring ploughing is imminent, yet Li Jidong, a farmer in Nuomizhuang Village, Luancheng City, Hebei, finds himself unable to till his land. Scattered across his 70-mu (approximately 11.5 acres) field are fragments of plastic mulch of all sizes, blown in from a neighbouring operation.…
Foodthink Says On 16 February, Foodthink hosted an in-person session for “Fake Meat Drives Out Real Meat”, a shortlisted piece from the Lianhe Creative Project. The event invited the author and discussion guests to engage in a lively exchange on the impact of imported meat and the future of traditional…
I. The Australian Egg Shortage The first time I realised I could no longer afford eggs. For the New Year that had just passed, my family and I rented an Airbnb in Sydney, Australia, to ring in the celebrations. Being strangers to the area, we stuck to buying groceries from…
Foodthink Commentary Ahead of the Spring Festival, Ren Yingying, a post-90s farmer from Lianxiang Farm in Chengde, Hebei, was invited by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture to Berlin for the Global Forum on Agriculture, Food, Nutrition and the Environment (GFFA), where she helped draft a position paper…
Every garden has a theory of beauty and a morality of happiness. — Santiago Belloc, Philosophy in the Garden It is somewhat serendipitous that my path to ecological farming began with “weeds”.First, weeds as a problem. As a sociology and anthropology student, I spent nearly a year conducting field research…
Recently, the news that delivery platforms have softened their stance and pledged to cover social security contributions for riders has sparked heated debate. Only time will tell how many couriers will actually stand to benefit, and whether this will genuinely improve their working conditions. In the latest episode of Foodthink’s…
Since January this year, the US has faced a widespread egg shortage triggered by avian flu. With supplies running low, numerous supermarkets have imposed purchase limits, and empty shelves have become a frequent sight. Meanwhile, egg prices have soared in response. Americans, accustomed to the daily availability of cheap eggs,…
A Note from Foodthink Termitomyces mushrooms, known locally as “Summer Solstice Mushrooms” in Shaoguan, Guangdong, have become a culinary trend in recent years, sparking a foraging frenzy across northern Guangdong. CaiCai and Dayan from the “Chunchao Springflut” studio ventured into Yao communities and inadvertently found themselves among the ranks of…
I. Why is maize sprayed with pesticides six times? “I wouldn’t dare buy maize from outside,” Old Lei said with a smile. The remark threw me off. As a city office worker, a boiled cob is my favourite breakfast on any morning I oversleep. I had set out to conduct…
