Free Republic

Fifteen years after she lost her first baby to a rare and devastating birth defect, Andrea Lopez takes comfort in knowing that other Latina mothers might finally avoid the same pain. n January, California became the first state to require food makers to add folic acid, a crucial vitamin, to corn masa flour used to make tortillas and other traditional foods widely used in her community. It’s a long-delayed move aimed at reducing Hispanic infants’ disproportionately high rates of serious conditions called neural tube defects, which claimed Lopez’s son, Gabriel Cude, when he was 10 days old. “It’s such a...

The price of coffee is increasing faster than any other household grocery, and it’s not just tariffs driving the surge — bad weather, war and a frenzy of market traders are also to blame for the rise. Coffee prices have spiked by a stunning 18.4% in the last year, according to federal data from February. Most other household spending items — from groceries to cars to haircuts — don’t close to that increase rate, figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show. Those increases have affected both producers and consumers, and reflect a trend that has been running wild since...

"Activist and trial lawyer attacks on herbicides imperil US and global health and nutrition" President Trump recently signed an Executive Order invoking the Defense Production Act to ensure increased domestic supplies of elemental phosphorus – a critical component of glyphosate-based herbicides that are vital for America’s non-organic crop productivity and thus national security. The EO has rekindled anti-pesticide activism and public concern about glyphosate, which used to be the primary ingredient in Roundup for home use but was changed following numerous class-action lawsuits. It’s also created internal conflicts within the “Make America Healthy Again” movement because the President and HHS...

President Donald Trump on Thursday said his administration will announce actions to help U.S. farmers on Friday, as the White House prepares to host hundreds of farmers, ranchers, and executives for an event highlighting the agricultural sector. The move comes as the administration is expected to release long-awaited biofuel blending quotas under the Renewable Fuel Standard, a policy closely watched by corn growers, ethanol producers and oil refiners that dictates how much renewable fuel must be mixed into the nation's gasoline and diesel supply. Reuters reported that the Trump administration will release its 2026-27 biofuel blending volume obligations this week,...

A world-renowned Napa Valley restaurant has been hit with bombshell claims of unpaid wages and vile bathrooms. Elena Flows Beteta is suing French Laundry and Thomas Keller Restaurant Group over alleged violations of the California labor code, per the Press Democrat. Beteta, who worked as a dishwasher from 2022-2025, filed the suit in Napa County Superior Court on behalf of her and “over fifty current and former aggrieved employees,” she claims. They claim the restaurant and its owners failed to “consistently pay for all hours worked, including overtime hours.” Beteta and the other employees allege they were repeatedly “required to...

…. What is Upcycling? Upcycling is the process of transforming discarded materials (ED NOTE: fish heads, frames, fins, and tails) into new, higher quality products It diverges from recycling by focusing on adding value, not just reusing. Food upcycling tries to make use of food scraps and leftovers that would otherwise be thrown away. These leftover bits get creatively repurposed into nutritious, flavorful ingredients. How Upcycled Salmon is MadeUpcycled salmon utilizes the trimmings and off-cuts generated during salmon filleting and processing, Around 75% of a salmon goes unused when it’s filleted for steaks and fillets Rather than discarding these nutrient-rich...

Dubai chocolate has become one of the most talked-about food phenomena on social media. Behind this ultra-indulgent bar lies a recent history, rooted in Middle Eastern culinary tradition and propelled to fame at lightning speed by TikTok. Dubai Chocolate was created in 2021 by Fix Dessert Chocolatier, a boutique based in Dubai. Its creator, Sarah Hamouda, an engineer of British-Egyptian origin, teamed up with chef Nouel Catis Omamalin with a simple but bold idea: to transform the experience of knafeh, an iconic Middle Eastern dessert made with kadaif [editor’s note: fresh angel hair], cheese, butter, and pistachios or walnuts, topped...

President Trump recently signed an Executive Order that expands U.S. production of glyphosate, a herbicide contained in commercial and domestic weed killers, such as Roundup. Glyphosate has been rigorously tested in more than 2,000 studies, including the U.S. National Cancer Institute’s large Agricultural Health Study, and has been used by farmers and home gardeners for more than 50 years. Yet some environmental advocates and other groups contend it causes cancer, specifically non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. This outcry stems primarily from a 2015 hazard assessment by the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC), a semi-autonomous agency of the World Health Organization, which...

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Most Americans can’t imagine their favorite restaurant just being out of certain foods. But the threat is closer than we think. It is difficult to imagine that the mighty United States could face threats to its seemingly abundant supply of grocery store and restaurant offerings. America has led the world in creating the modern industrial food system (known as “the Green Revolution”) and remains the world’s top food-exporting nation. Yet economic and logistical fractures have become visible, threatening to burst this illusion of plenty in a matter of moments. America’s farms have been quietly disappearing for decades, and productive farmland...

Steak ‘n Shake has rolled out its new tater tots cooked in beef tallow, expanding the fast-food chain’s push toward traditional frying methods. The announcement drew attention on social media after the Indianapolis-based company highlighted the ingredient Monday morning in an X post, with commenters praising the move, while others debated whether beef tallow is healthier than vegetable oils. Steak ‘n Shake previously made headlines last year when it announced that its fries would be cooked in beef tallow instead of vegetable oil — part of what the company described as a return to the “authentic way” of frying potatoes....

Research suggests compounds in foods like blackberries and kale can influence brain chemistry tied to motivation and activity — another reminder that what we eat affects more than we realize.Key Takeaways: -A 2025 study suggests that astringent, flavanol-rich foods like berries and red wine may stimulate the nervous system through their puckering taste, potentially triggering physiological responses similar to moderate exercise. -In the study, mice given oral doses of flavanols exhibited increased physical activity, greater exploration, and improved learning and memory compared to a control group. -Researchers also observed elevated levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and related compounds associated with motivation,...

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has revived a controversial benefit program once lauded as a step toward “reparations” for black San Franciscans. Known as the Dream Keeper Initiative, the relaunched program will grant $36 million to “community-serving organizations,” including some that have offered “Afri-centric” mental-health services, African ancestry DNA testing, and free doulas for “African American birthing people.” The Dream Keeper Initiative was founded by former San Francisco Mayor London Breed in 2021, fulfilling her promise to redirect police funding to “the African American community” in the aftermath of George Floyd’s 2020 death in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In February 2021, Breed...

Wall Street Apes@WallStreetApes·4hI verified this and it’s true“This is a class Group 1 carcinogen. The new study warns there's NO SAFE amount of ham, bacon, or even pepperoni for human consumption”Processed meats including ham, bacon, pepperoni are now definitively linked to cancer (Group 1), and newer 2025–2026 studies reinforce thee is no “safe” level that exists for regular consumption“One flimsy cut is lubricated with over 28 bio stabilizers. It's an ammonia-washed paste glued together with synthetic hydrocolloids. That color is then artificially enforced with a corrosive rust inhibitor called sodium nitrite. Group 1 carcinogen that ranks on the same pedestal...

Distilled from a mashbill of 99% corn and 1% malted barley, the whiskey spent more than 17 years in used cooperage before a brief secondary maturation in an ex-bourbon barrel.-The 2026 World Whiskies Awards named Onyx & Amber’s Copper Buffalo American Light Whiskey Double Oaked as Best American-Style Whiskey. -Distilled by MGP in Indiana and finished in Colorado, the 18-year-old light whiskey was recasked in a used bourbon barrel for secondary maturation. -The American Style Whiskey category includes expressions that fall outside tightly established designations, such as bourbon, rye, and single malt World Whiskies Awards has selected its Best American...

As wellness conversations broaden beyond abstinence, new research explores cannabis through a harm-reduction lens and what it could mean for moderating alcohol consumption.-A 2025 Brown University study found that inhaling cannabis with active THC reduced short-term alcohol consumption and delayed drinking among heavy drinkers in a lab setting. Participants also reported a decreased urge to drink compared to a placebo. -The study used cannabis containing 7.2% THC and does not address long-term drinking habits or effects in people who don’t already use marijuana. -Experts warn that replacing alcohol with cannabis poses risks, including dependency and psychiatric side effects, especially with...

A Dutch cheese has claimed top honours at one of the world’s most respected dairy competitions, winning the title of World Champion Cheese 2026 in a field of thousands of international entries. Beemster Royaal Grand Cru, a rich, cow’s‑milk cheese produced by CONO Kaasmakers in Westbeemster, The Netherlands, was named the best cheese in the world at the World Championship Cheese Contest in Madison, Wisconsin, this week. With an outstanding score of 98.68 out of 100, the cheese topped a competitive field of 3,375 entries from 25 countries and 34 U.S. states. The World Championship Cheese Contest, organised by the...

A daily cup of coffee or tea may do more than wake you up—it could also help keep your brain sharp as you age. New research tracking hundreds of thousands of people over decades suggests that moderate caffeine consumption is linked to a lower risk of developing dementia.“Caffeine increases the brain’s activity and can accelerate the speed of messages between the brain and the body,” Jolene Knight, psychiatric nurse practitioner at Stony Brook Medicine’s Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s disease, and not involved in the study, told The Epoch Times. Caffeine Linked to 20 Percent Risk ReductionThe study, recently published...

ILULISSAT, Greenland (AP) — Fisherman Helgi Áargil no longer knows what to expect on Greenland ‘s fjords, where he spends up to five days at a time on his boat with his dog, Molly, and the ever-changing northern lights in the sky as company. Last year, his boat got stuck in ice that broke off the nearby glacier. This year, it’s been very wet instead. His income is just as unpredictable. An outing could bring him around 100,000 Danish kroner (about $15,700), or nothing at all. The Arctic’s rapidly changing climate is bringing more questions for Greenland, the semiautonomous territory...

3 SOLDIERS DIED TODAY. NOT FOR OIL. NOT FOR LAND. FOR THE CHILDREN. March 1, 2026. 11:47 AM. The Pentagon confirmed: 3 American service members killed in action. 5 more wounded. The first casualties of Operation Epic Fury. The media will use their deaths to question the war. We will use their sacrifice to tell you WHY this war is being fought. ⚡ WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LAST 24 HOURS While every camera on Earth pointed at Tehran — the real operation happened in silence. — Interpol arrested 7 people across 4 European countries. France. Germany. Austria. Belgium. All connected...