It can be confusing for shoppers to wade through the bounty of information about the differences between organic and conventional produce. An expert clears the air on some common questions.
A report out this week says hunger, malnutrition and even starvation are widespread in Gaza, but stopped short of declaring it a 'famine.' Here's a primer on what that means, and who gets to decide.
Americans consume more than half their daily calories from ultra-processed food. A new study finds consuming lots of this food is linked to a higher risk of many diseases.
When you buy a bottle of rum in the United States, by law nearly all the federal taxes on that rum must be sent to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It's an unusual system that Congress designed decades ago to help fund these two U.S. territories. In 2021 alone, these rum tax payments added up to more than $700 million.
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands split the money according to how much rum each territory produces. And the territories produce a lot of it — especially Puerto Rico, which single handedly supplies the majority of the rum that Americans drink.
But in 2008, the U.S. Virgin Islands pulled off a coup. It convinced one of the largest rum brands in the world, Captain Morgan, to abandon Puerto Rico and to shift its operations to the tiny island of St. Croix.
This was the beginning of the Rum Wars.
On today's show, the story of how a scheme designed to help Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands turned them into bitter rivals. And how it ended up putting hundreds of millions of dollars a year — U.S. taxpayer dollars — into the pockets of big liquor companies instead.
This episode was hosted by Jeff Guo and Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by James Sneed with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Molly Messick, engineered by Cena Loffredo, and fact checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.
Six artificial food dyes and titanium dioxide would be banned in schools under a proposal in the state legislature. Critics say there isn't enough evidence to prove they're a health risk.
Thousands remain displaced after last year's deadly wildfire on west Maui. Among those who lost almost everything was a chief and his family. But they're determined to keep their restaurant running.
The brands of cinnamon are typically sold at discount retailers, such as Save a Lot, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree. The alert follows the recalls of 3 brands of cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches.
Two families are battling for bragging rights as the inventor of the wildly popular dish. Will the truth come out? Or it could be there's another origin story involving ... British tastebuds?
There are no Wonka-like scenes of Tagalong rainbows and Do-si-do stools. But parents can be forgiven for feeling like Oompa Loompas — hardworking cogs in a well-oiled machine.