Meat and Three Heritage Radio Network

Whether it’s for a Rosh Hashanah brisket or an end-of-summer barbecue, more and more people are buying meat from local suppliers. This week on Meat and Three, we spotlight the people who prepare our meat before it reaches our plates. We hear from butchers who are working to introduce consumers to new cuts and create more localized food supply chains. We investigate an innovation in retail that allows for socially distant shopping and we explore the staggering distances some small meat producers have to travel to reach a slaughterhouse. Plus we hear from one master of charcuterie who isn’t using meat at all.

On this week's episode of Meat and Three, we explore what happens when food is consumed through a screen. From a simple TV or computer monitor to the more complex VR goggles, the sensory experience of food is fundamentally shifted with the mediation of a virtual barrier.

Kat Johnson first ponders the significance (or lack thereof) of fruit cameos on cable news. Next, Tash Kimmel looks at how urban foraging is aided through a virtual platform. We then move to the world of virtual reality. Emily Kunkel examines how VR can be used to unlock new therapeutic and utilitarian applications of food, and Dylan Heuer talks with Jenny Dorsey about how she uses VR to bring political and metaphorical meaning to the dinner party format.

On this week's episode of Meat and Three, we are heading back to school. This year, the first day at school looks a lot different. From daycares to universities, every institution is operating under a different model – and that includes their plans for how students will eat. We bring you reports from cafeterias, take a look at how schools are supporting students who require subsidized lunch, and explore some tips for teaching young kids about nutrition from the comfort of their homes.

From piping hot pizza to the satisfyingly boxed Chinese food, takeout and delivery have been a part of our lives for over a century. This year, however, delivery went from a convenience to a necessity. Covid-19 forced restaurants and supermarkets to adapt quickly. The country has been faced with the question: How can we get food safely and efficiently? One answer has been delivery.

First, we take a step back and see how takeout and delivery have been at the forefront of social and economic change throughout the 20th century.  We hear from one delivery driver about how his job has and hasn’t changed since the start of quarantine. Brandon Hoy, co-founder and COO of Roberta’s Pizza in Brooklyn, tells us how his restaurants are using new and innovative ways to streamline their delivery service amid Covid-19 safety regulations and staff shortages. Lastly, The Big Food Question helps us answer some of our most pressing pandemic-related delivery queries.

Over the summer, consumers called out food companies for racist imagery, names, and political positions. We saw a wave of hashtags, open letters, and boycotts – and in many cases, companies were pressured to make changes. For our season eight opener, we step into the tumultuous landscape of food branding.

Two stories this week focus on how high schoolers are holding brands accountable – from a California teen who launched a boycott on Trader Joe’s to a group of students who stood up to Goya’s CEO after he praised President Trump. Then, we hear from companies who are carefully considering their brand and public image in a time when consumers are more tuned in than ever before, and aren’t afraid to call out problematic marketing.

This week, we’re focusing on the way that Generation Z relates to food and drink – especially as compared to their millennial predecessors. We observe some shifts in the ways food has been marketed in the past several decades and how Gen Zers’ views on alcohol consumption differ from older generations. We log on to the newest social media craze, TikTok, to see how food influencers are utilizing the app, and hear about the unique challenges facing three recent graduates of NYC’s Food and Finance High School.