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In rural Iowa, President Trump plugs 'precision agriculture'

Jun 21, 2017
It’s “Technology Week” at the White House. So, naturally, President Trump is heading to farm country today. If that seems incongruous, you may not know there’s a lot of high-tech stuff going on in the growing field of “precision agriculture.” Farmers are using all sorts of technology to determine the most efficient growing practices, which […]

Why you should listen to Leonard Cohen music when you eat toffee

Jun 20, 2017
Restaurants and food companies can change the way you think their food tastes, and it has nothing to do with the recipe.
Brian Ach/Getty Images for New York Magazine

Pink boxes: the unsung icon of LA's doughnut scene

Jun 13, 2017
The containers were popularized by Cambodian immigrants in the 1970s.
“Good things come in pink boxes.”
EVA HAMBACH/AFP/Getty Images

Mushroom farmers dependent on immigrant labor fear worker shortage

Jun 13, 2017
Growers say fears of immigration enforcement under Trump may already be hitting their bottom line.
A bed of white agaricus mushrooms, commonly known as button mushrooms, at Pietro Industries in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
Laura Benshoff

German grocers Aldi and Lidl are bringing more discount food to the U.S. market

Jun 12, 2017
Two German grocery giants are casting a big shadow in the U.S. Aldi, which has operated here since the late 1970s, says it wants to add about 800 stores to the 1,700 it operates today. Meanwhile, Lidl, another German chain, will open the first of its planned U.S. stores later this week on the East […]

There's a pizza cheese empire, and you've probably never heard of it

Jun 6, 2017
Pizza Hut, Papa John's and Domino's all buy mozzarella from Leprino Foods.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The value of cooking at home isn't all about money

Jun 2, 2017
And it's not that hard, either.
Beer-steamed mussels with chorizo.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Joanna Keohane

For public good, not for profit.

Why investors want companies like Blue Apron to go public

Jun 2, 2017
The meal-kit delivery company Blue Apron has filed to go public. Investors hoping to get a piece at the IPO or later will be buying into a company that’s got a young customer base and that’s growing fast. But it’s a company with a business model that’s not all that complicated, shall we say. So […]

Proposed cuts to SNAP target families of more than six people

May 26, 2017
The White House budget proposal would cut SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as food stamps, by $193 billion over 10 years. Right now a family of six gets about $900 a month in food aid. Under Trump’s proposal, that would be the cap, even for households with more people. Many families that receive […]

Food startup Tovala finds a home in Chicago

May 17, 2017
The Windy City is becoming one of the top tech destinations in the U.S.
Working in Tovala's test kitchen, chef Alexander Plotkin plates one of the company's meals.
Jana Kasperkevic/Marketplace