Sasha Chavkin
Senior reporter covering the food industry @theexamination.org. Past: RIN Fellow for Pulitzer Center/@apnews.com, Ted Scripps Fellow, reporter @ICIJorg. Believer in democracy, the Constitution and the New York Mets.
- Its not just the US: About 50 children in Hong Kong have reported illnesses linked to infant formula, including a one-year old girl who got sick after drinking Nestle formula
- Citing addiction science concepts like "dose optimization" and "hedonic manipulation," a new study argues that ultraprocessed foods need to be confronted with the same policy playbook used for tobacco control
- The American Beverage Association - which includes Coke, Pepsi and other leading processed food companies - is sponsoring & buying ads on Katie Miller's podcast “It represents the evolution of lobbying and influence in the second Trump administration,” an expert says
- Reposted by Sasha ChavkinINBOX: Washington Post Ukraine Correspondent Lizzie Johnson announces that she has been laid off in the middle of a below-freezing war zone without power, heat, or running water.
- The city of Amsterdam will ban meat advertising in public spaces, effective May 1 A striking contrast with the US, where RFK Jr will be touting his meat-friendly new dietary guidelines at the beef industry convention CattleCon tomorrow
- Reposted by Sasha ChavkinIncredible reporting. Here’s the email that launched an intrusive and frightening investigation:
- This is absolutely insane: DHS claims the right to subpoena your emails and to send investigators to your house. In this case, because a retiree sent the mildest possible criticism to a prosecutor. No judges involved. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
- Increasing numbers of kids are ending up in the emergency room with life-threatening cardiac effects after consuming energy drinks, warns a Macedonian doctor
- A cadre of wellness influencers who have promoted debunked theories are getting a network TV platform @theguardian.com digs into Bari Weiss' latest gambit
- Reposted by Sasha ChavkinBreaking on MS NOW: Career DOJ prosecutors in both Minnesota and Los Angeles refused to be involved in charging Don Lemon and the other journalists who covered the Minneapolis church protests. The prosecutors believe the evidence does not support the charges, per @carolleonnig.bsky.social.
- Mississippi residents who say they were sickened by toxic emissions from bioenergy giant Drax face painful setbacks: an increased pollution quota for Drax & uncertainty about whether a key federally funded study will provide any answers New story with Alex Rozier & @mississippitoday.org
- Carlos Monteiro, who developed the concept of ultraprocessed food, warns against the new wave of "healthy" UPFs He says these products: - Mislead consumers by focusing on a single nutrient - Encourage unhealthy dietary patterns - Undermine regulation by dodging or preempting needed rules
- Denouncing unscientific claims and industry influence in RFK Jr's new dietary guidelines, @cspinet.org & others present "Uncompromised Dietary Guidelines for America" that: - Call for limiting saturated fat & sodium - Prioritize plant-based proteins - Adhere to rigorous science
- Swiss chocolate giant Barry Callebaut was fined by Brazilian authorities for child labor in its supply chains - rulings that were kept in secret until now Via @reporterbrasil.org.br reporterbrasil.org.br/2026/01/giga...
- Tobacco companies defeat a lawsuit by the health ministry in South Korea - extending the industry's unbeaten streak in avoiding paying the costs of harms caused by smoking (the US tobacco settlement is the biggest exception) The latest from @jasonmclure.bsky.social @maria-perez.bsky.social
- Reposted by Sasha ChavkinThe right move. And an excellent, forceful statement: "We have asked the court to order the immediate return of all seized materials and prevent their use. Anything less would license future newsroom raids and normalize censorship by search warrant.” wapo.st/4jUxQEe
- 🚨We're hiring again! 🚨 Another great opportunity at @theexamination.org - we're seeking a data reporter with a track record of producing impactful investigations
- After the Trump admin rolled back regulations allowing the FDA to remove poultry "adulterated" by salmonella from stores, the USDA holds a hearing today on next steps The meat industry argues salmonella shouldn't be defined as an adulterant because it's a "naturally occurring substance in food"
- Five members of European parliament demand answers after @theexamination.org revealed that European officials had undisclosed lobbying meetings with Philip Morris “If the published reports are confirmed, it would be grave,” one said www.theexamination.org/articles/mep...
- The meat and dairy industries' ties to the Trump administration have recently come into the spotlight. Now the poultry industry - which includes major Trump & GOP donors - is facing major workforce impacts from the federal immigration crackdown & has started reaching out to Dems
- Reposted by Sasha Chavkin[Not loaded yet]
- "These little bodies are collapsing at school" Indonesia's free school meals program, a major government initiative that just reached its one year anniversary, has been dogged by repeated reports of food poisoning An advocate blames cronyism for food safety failures
- The federal government allows grazing on public lands twice the area of California. That program is causing environmental harm across the West and has become captured by ranchers, especially a small number of wealthy owners who have consolidated land Sweeping investigation from @propublica.org
- One strain of bird flu, H5N1, has been decimating US farms But scientists are worried about another strain, H9N2, that is more dangerous to people and has a growing number of cases in China
- Reminder: we are hiring a reporter to join our food team! This is an exciting position with the opportunity to do creative and ambitious work that leads to real impact. One more week to submit applications 👇
- In Peru's arid north, giant agribusinesses have captured scarce water supplies by damming rivers despite government orders and repeated attacks on the structures by local communities @saludconlupa.com digs into the lawless capture of water
- RFK Jr persuaded medical associations to back the new dietary guidelines by compromising on saturated fat - a compromise that leaves a big contradiction in the government's advice Illuminating work from @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social
- Some thoughts on the new dietary guidelines: The headline message of “Eat real food” is refreshingly clear and simple - and echoes how I'd explain my own views to a friend. HHS deserves credit for a message that is direct, understandable and goes beyond what the government has said before. (1/3)
- RFK Jr railed against industry influence on America's dietary guidelines, then picked experts tied to the meat and dairy industries to this year's panel - which promoted those products in contradiction to mainstream nutrition science Strong work from @statnews.com
- Nearly half of Trump-appointed experts involved in shaping the new dietary guidelines have financial ties to meat and dairy industries. Exclusive with @sarah-todd.bsky.social and @elizabethcooney.bsky.social --> www.statnews.com/2026/01/07/n...
- The government of Togo is investigating lead contamination at battery recycling factories after testing by @theexamination.org found unsafe lead levels at 14 sites More impact from @willfitzgibbon.bsky.social's investigation
- Reposted by Sasha ChavkinWe've got a new food pyramid, emphasis on limiting ultra-processed foods and eating more protein, and a lot more. Story with @isabellacueto.bsky.social & @elizabethcooney.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/01/07/d...
- A provision creating legal immunity for pesticide makers linked to health harms was stripped from the latest EPA funding bill The decision is a setback for Bayer, which faces major litigation on its herbicide Roundup and lobbied for the immunity clause Via @civileats.com
- The leading soy industry group in Brazil, ABIOVE, has withdrawn from the Soy Moratorium, a voluntary agreement credited with major reductions in deforestation Environmentalists call the decision "unjustifiable" and say it threatens both the climate and Brazil's global reputation
- The Trump administration shuts down SNAP-Ed, a nearly 50-year old nutrition education arm within the food stamps program “There will be some losses in my community,” one beneficiary said. “We won’t have that guidance, or help in comparing quantity and quality when we shop for groceries.”
- A little-reported court ruling over the holidays paused a food dye ban in West Virginia, finding the law was likely to be found unconstitutionally vague A potentially major setback for RFK Jr and MAHA, who count state-level food dye bans among their most concrete achievements
- A deeply reported data dive by @andrewvandam.bsky.social uncovers a disturbing trend: Malnutrition deaths are surging in America, driven by deaths among people who are 85 and older
- 🚨We're hiring! 🚨 @theexamination.org is seeking a reporter with a track record of impactful stories to join our food team This is a great opportunity and feel free to message me with questions - I'll be working closely with this person and I'm excited to see our team grow!
- Reposted by Sasha ChavkinThe full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5
- The US food safety system may be facing death by a thousand funding cuts, experts tell @sarah-todd.bsky.social "All of these cuts that are not coherent are all working against each other"
- Reposted by Sasha ChavkinPer NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
- New study finds another alarming consequence of climate change: crops becoming less nutritious Researchers project a “significant” decrease in protein, zinc and iron in crops such as rice and wheat grown at higher CO2 levels
- Nigerian authorities shut down battery recycling factories and conduct blood testing for hundreds of people who live near them Sweeping impact from @theexamination.org & @nytimes.com investigation of the poisonous lead trade
- Must-read series from @propublica.org painstakingly unravels what happened on the ground after Trump's foreign aid cuts This story describes one mother's struggle to keep her children from dying of malnutrition after the US abruptly cut aid to her refugee camp
- Reposted by Sasha ChavkinNEW: Without USAID funding to help buy food for refugees, the World Food Program rushed to prioritize families based on need, determining that only half the population would get food. Refugees learned which half they were in from a number stamped on the back of their ration card.
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- Could concerns about health decrease demand for ultraprocessed snack foods? PepsiCo is betting the opposite, and making a major investment in fortified snacks with fewer artificial ingredients - like the 2026 launch of Doritos Protein - to lift its growth “into an algorithm level”
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- At the bidding of Phillip Morris International, EU officials fought antismoking policies in Turkey and Mexico, a new investigation by @theexamination.org reveals “We would like to express our gratitude in regard of the actions that you took,” PMI wrote to EU staff
- Brazil's Agriculture Ministry is trying to remove mentions of deforestation, pesticides and environmental conflict from Brazil's national climate plan, reveals a memo obtained by @reporterbrasil.org.br The memo says the references are "ideological" and "harmful to the image of agriculture"
- Most state level policies on ultra-processed foods only address food dyes - but less than 10% of packaged UPFs include dyes Eye-opening column in NYT...
- Faced with surging beef prices, Trump admin creates high level task force, probes monopolistic practices by meatpackers and even considers opening southern border to cattle imports What WSJ doesn't mention: deregulation and rollback of food safety standards have not delivered cheaper beef
- When Dr. Sivaranjani Santosh saw children being hospitalized for dehydration after consuming falsely labeled "rehydration" energy drinks, she demanded Indian health authorities strike these claims from their labels Eight years later, she finally won
- Brazil places a division of meatpacking giant JBS on the "Dirty List" for slave labor, following an order by a judge The dispute emerged after a federal inspection found modern slavery conditions in JBS's supply chain, but a cabinet minister intervened to keep them off the list
- Meat loaf. Frosted Flakes. Frozen pizza. As the cost of living soars, people who can least afford it are regularly being overcharged on basic food items by dollar stores that fail to honor their sticker prices Great work by @barryyeoman.com @jocelynzuck.bsky.social
- The Trump administration is threatening SNAP funds again, this time in 21 blue states that are refusing to share certain data on recipients that they say would violate privacy laws Trump says the data is needed to root out fraud, a judge has previously ruled in the states' favor
- San Francisco files sweeping lawsuit against 11 leading food corporations, alleging that they knowingly sold harmful products and used "unfair and deceptive" tactics A similar private class action suit in PA was dismissed earlier this year
- ICYMI: three part series in @thelancet.com tackles ultra-processed foods and their health effects, finding that rise of UPFs is a "key driver of the escalating global burden of multiple diet-related chronic diseases" Part 3 below cites @theexamination.org's work on anti-diet influencers
- The government of Nigeria's Ogun state said it will offer free lead poisoning to residents of Ogijo, a town at the heart of the lead battery recycling industry Important impact from @theexamination.org, @premiumtimes.bsky.social, @nytimes.com's investigation
- Tea with milk or cheese foam. Fried chicken. Hot pot. Facing slowing consumer spending and intense price competition at home, China's fast food chains are trying to break into the US market
