Lab To Table: The Future Of Our Food

A series of stories looking at how our food systems are changing and the role Massachusetts farmers, researchers and companies are playing in shaping the industry.

Knotweed sorbet at Toscanini’s. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Invasive Species For Dessert? Food Makers Hope 'Future' Sweets Get Us Talking About Climate Change

Local food makers concocted desserts with some unusual ingredients -- all related to themes connected to our shifting environment -- for a series of public tastings in Cambridge.

Local Coverage

08:36Jun 7, 2019

A customer checks the firmness of fresh okra at Doris Berry Produce stand in Jackson, Miss. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)

5 Local Foods You Can Eat To Help Preserve Biodiversity — And Help The Planet

The World Wildlife Fund recommended eating 50 foods to help preserve the planet's species. We chose five tasty options you can find easily in New England.

Local Coverage

Jun 7, 2019

Chef David Ferragamo tosses a pan of sauteed peas in a pan. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Breaking The Brownie Mold: Cannabis Chefs Cook Up Ways To Broaden Appeal Of Edibles

Sweets dominate the cannabis edible market because they are easy to separate into doses to satisfy state rules, but some chefs hope to push what kinds of THC-infused foods they...

Local Coverage

07:37Jun 6, 2019

A bin of expired food from area Stop & Shop stores being poured into the anaerobic digester at the Stop & Shop Distribution Center in Freetown. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

How The State's Commercial Food Waste Disposal Ban Is Working

In 2014, Massachusetts created a rule that any enterprise that generates one ton or more of food waste a week can't put all of that food in the garbage. The...

Local Coverage

08:41Jun 5, 2019

Scrambled eggs and ingredient for a breakfast burritos get thrown out as the period for serving breakfast comes to an end at Boloco at Atlantic Wharf. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

How Boston Entrepreneurs Use Tech To Tackle Food Waste

About 40% of the food produced in the U.S. is thrown out. Some Boston entrepreneurs have developed technologies to reduce that waste.

Local Coverage

06:41Jun 5, 2019

In this Sept. 19, 2012 file photo, corn plants weakened by the drought lie on the ground after being knocked over by rain in Bennington, Neb. The impacts of rising global temperatures are widespread and costly: more severe storms, rising seas, species extinctions, and changes in weather patterns that will alter food production and the spread of disease. (Nati Harnik/AP)

The Scariest Thing About Climate Change: What Happens To Our Food Supply

Agriculture is both a casualty and a cause of climate change, writes Frederick Hewett.

Cognoscenti

Jun 5, 2019

(Salvation Army USA West/Flickr via Compfight; photo edits by Benjamin Swasey/WBUR)

The Ongoing Fight To End Hunger In Massachusetts

One in 11 people in Massachusetts struggle with hunger, according to the non-profit Feeding America. That figure includes one in nine children.

Radio Boston

16:00Jun 4, 2019

Dan slices an avocado in his kitchen. He's been on the ketogenic diet for three years now, and says it's improved his mental health and overall well-being. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Prescription: More Broccoli, Fewer Carbs. How Some Doctors Are Looking To Food To Treat Illness

A McLean Hospital doctor asks patients with obesity and mental illness to try the ketogenic diet. It's part of a growing trend of doctors prescribing certain foods -- or telling...

Local Coverage

05:52Jun 4, 2019

Spark Capital co-founder Todd Dagres, left, samples a piece of lettuce harvested by Freight Farms co-founder Brad McNamara. (Callum Borchers/WBUR)

Investments In AgTech Are Growing Fast. What's Got Investors Betting On The Future Of Food

AgTech investment spending has increased sixfold globally since 2013. And the wide range of investors includes venture capital firms, large corporations, and individuals with personal causes.

Local Coverage

05:19Jun 3, 2019

Beyond Self-Check Out: How Grocery Stores Are Incorporating Tech

Grocery shopping is completely different than it was 50 years ago. And industry experts and retailers are already preparing for the next set of changes, from automation and delivery, to...

Local Coverage

07:49Jun 3, 2019

A platter of goodies for a holiday meal. (Courtesy Brooke Lark/Unsplash)

15 Ways To Reduce Holiday Food Waste, Plus A Recipe For Those Pesky Leftovers

The holidays are the perfect time for gathering with friends over food. But, it's also a season of great food waste. We speak with a food waste warrior for tips....

Local Coverage

09:00Dec 18, 2018

Spherical Analytics CBO Chris Rezendes points at a large screen with a video of cod fish passing through a fishing net at the UMass Dartmouth Oceanography Operations Lab at the Mass. Division of Marine Fisheries. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Catch Of The Day Or Tuna From A Test Tube? How Innovation Could Change Seafood

Researchers are developing AI to promote smarter fishing. And private companies are working on alternatives -- including bioengineered fish and even fish flesh grown in laboratories.

Local Coverage

08:11Dec 10, 2018

Yield10 research associate Kieran Ryan examines some gene-edited grains of rice. The lack of a glow signals that the editing process is complete. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

CRISPRed Food: How Gene Editing Is Expected To Change Our Crops — And Supermarket Shelves

With a new generation of gene-edited food on the way, it's time to ask: If a label promises you better nutrition through CRISPR, how do you feel about that?

Local Coverage

09:18Nov 30, 2018

Fried chicken made from cultured meat at San Francisco-based Memphis Meats. (Courtesy Memphis Meats)

Have Your Pig And Eat It, Too? A Look At The Future Of Meat

Lab meat may sound like mad science, but researchers are exploring how cultured meat could mitigate the meat industry's effects on the climate and animals.

Local Coverage

08:14Nov 26, 2018

Lettuce grows vertically in a controlled environment using LED lights and a hydroponic growth system in the Freight Farm Leafy Green Machine. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Robots, Hydroponics, 'Hands In The Dirt': A Look At Who — Or What — Will Feed Us In The Future

With climate change threatening our food systems, innovators around the world, including here in Massachusetts, are turning to tech to find new ways to farm.

Local Coverage

09:49Nov 19, 2018

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Lab To Table: The Future Of Our Food

Invasive Species For Dessert? Food Makers Hope 'Future' Sweets Get Us Talking About Climate Change

Local Coverage

5 Local Foods You Can Eat To Help Preserve Biodiversity — And Help The Planet

Local Coverage

Breaking The Brownie Mold: Cannabis Chefs Cook Up Ways To Broaden Appeal Of Edibles

Local Coverage

How The State's Commercial Food Waste Disposal Ban Is Working

Local Coverage

How Boston Entrepreneurs Use Tech To Tackle Food Waste

Local Coverage

The Scariest Thing About Climate Change: What Happens To Our Food Supply

Cognoscenti

The Ongoing Fight To End Hunger In Massachusetts

Radio Boston

Prescription: More Broccoli, Fewer Carbs. How Some Doctors Are Looking To Food To Treat Illness

Local Coverage

Investments In AgTech Are Growing Fast. What's Got Investors Betting On The Future Of Food

Local Coverage

Beyond Self-Check Out: How Grocery Stores Are Incorporating Tech

Local Coverage

15 Ways To Reduce Holiday Food Waste, Plus A Recipe For Those Pesky Leftovers

Local Coverage

Catch Of The Day Or Tuna From A Test Tube? How Innovation Could Change Seafood

Local Coverage

CRISPRed Food: How Gene Editing Is Expected To Change Our Crops — And Supermarket Shelves

Local Coverage

Have Your Pig And Eat It, Too? A Look At The Future Of Meat

Local Coverage

Robots, Hydroponics, 'Hands In The Dirt': A Look At Who — Or What — Will Feed Us In The Future

Local Coverage

Sections

Radio

Podcasts

CitySpace

Support

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Invasive Species For Dessert? Food Makers Hope 'Future' Sweets Get Us Talking About Climate Change

5 Local Foods You Can Eat To Help Preserve Biodiversity — And Help The Planet

Breaking The Brownie Mold: Cannabis Chefs Cook Up Ways To Broaden Appeal Of Edibles

How The State's Commercial Food Waste Disposal Ban Is Working

How Boston Entrepreneurs Use Tech To Tackle Food Waste

The Scariest Thing About Climate Change: What Happens To Our Food Supply

The Ongoing Fight To End Hunger In Massachusetts

Prescription: More Broccoli, Fewer Carbs. How Some Doctors Are Looking To Food To Treat Illness

Investments In AgTech Are Growing Fast. What's Got Investors Betting On The Future Of Food

Beyond Self-Check Out: How Grocery Stores Are Incorporating Tech

15 Ways To Reduce Holiday Food Waste, Plus A Recipe For Those Pesky Leftovers

Catch Of The Day Or Tuna From A Test Tube? How Innovation Could Change Seafood

CRISPRed Food: How Gene Editing Is Expected To Change Our Crops — And Supermarket Shelves

Have Your Pig And Eat It, Too? A Look At The Future Of Meat

Robots, Hydroponics, 'Hands In The Dirt': A Look At Who — Or What — Will Feed Us In The Future