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Every week we track the business, tech and investment trends in CPG, retail, restaurants, agriculture, cooking and health, so you don’t have to. Here are some of this week’s top headlines.

The Atlantic examines how a 1980s federal policy shift spurred the rise of food deserts, leaving communities with limited access to affordable, healthy options. Meanwhile, Politico highlights tensions in the Trump administration as the president’s Agriculture Secretary pick signals a preference for industry priorities over Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.

In other news, we’ve wrapped the first season of our podcast in partnership with AgFunder: New Food Order, a nuanced investigation into the business of tackling our climate and social crises through food and agriculture. Read all about why we launched the podcast, and be sure to subscribe and share!

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1. The Great Grocery Squeeze – The Atlantic

How a federal policy change in the 1980s created the modern food desert.

2. With Ag Secretary Pick, Trump Brushes Back RFK Jr – Politico

The decision shows the potential limits of Kennedy’s power to pursue his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda in a Trump administration attuned to the concerns of industry.

3. On Big Pharma, Food and Agriculture, These Are Kennedy’s Unexpected Bedfellows – NYT

When it comes to weeding out corporate influence, Robert F Kennedy Jr’s ideas often align best with some of Trump’s loudest critics.

4. As Congress Feuds Over Farm Bill, Growers Are ‘Stuck in Limbo’ – NYT

The agriculture and nutrition measure was last updated in 2018 and originally expired two years ago. Farmers fear the Trump administration’s priorities will eclipse theirs next year.

5. Is Unilever’s Sale of the Vegetarian Butcher a Turning Point for Plant-Based Meat? – Green Queen

This news has sent ripples through the industry, prompting many to ask: What does this mean for the future of plant-based meat, and how did we get here?

6. Slowdown in Patent Applications for Cultivated & Plant-Based Meat Signals Leveling After Hype Cycle Peak – Vegconomist

Patent applications for cultivated meat have plateaued following a period of significant growth, while plant-based meat patent applications have fallen for the first time since 2013.

7. Perfect Day, Every Co, Liberation Labs Among Final Winners of US Govt Biomanufacturing Grants – Green Queen

Precision fermentation startups dominate the final round of the US Department of Defense’s first phase of biomanufacturing grants, which will go towards building new facilities in the country.