Beyond The Headlines: USDA bolsters tribal food system sovereignty, Matter to support women farmers

07 Jun 2024 --- This week in nutrition news, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) moved to strengthen indigenous food system sovereignty, the non-governmental organization (NGO) Matter unveiled a campaign to support women farmers in Zimbabwe and broadcast company Sinclair partnered with Feeding America to provide meals for children during the summer months when school meals are unavailable.

Nutrition News
The USDA announced actions to strengthen tribal sovereignty and make food systems more resilient. The USDA allocated over US$42 million for the Indigenous Animals Harvesting and Meat Processing Grant Program, US$18 million for Tribal Forest Protection Act projects and US$2.3 million for serving indigenous foods in school meals. It also announced a class of interns focused on Tribal agriculture and an upcoming international trade mission for Tribal Nation and Native Hawaiian community businesses. USDA secretary, Tom Vilsack, stated that the efforts are part of a commitment to incorporating Indigenous knowledge and perspectives, investing in projects that advance food sovereignty and creating economic opportunities in Tribal communities. The announcements were made at the National Congress of American Indians 2024 Mid-Year Convention in Cherokee, North Carolina.

The Minnesota-based NGO Matter unveiled the Chaya Kickstarter Campaign to raise US$50,000 to enable women in Chaya farming cooperatives in Zimbabwe to convert surplus harvests into sustainable income and fund the first line of marketable Chaya products. Chaya is a drought-resistant and highly nutritious vegetable that offers essential nutrients like protein, calcium, iron and vitamins A and C and has been shown to combat malnutrition and stunting in Zimbabwean communities. It will be processed at the Chidobe Chaya Processing Center in Victoria Falls, where women in farming co-ops will sell their Chaya to be dried and processed into marketable products in Zimbabwe and beyond. Initial products included freeze-dried Chaya leaves for meals and Chaya protein powder for the supplement and plant protein spaces.

Sinclair revealed it has partnered with Feeding America to launch the “Sinclair Cares: Summer Hunger Relief campaign.” The initiative looks to provide one million meals to children and families across the US during the summer months. The campaign will run through June and July to address the gap left when school meal programs are unavailable during summer. Through financial contributions, viewers can help provide meals to children and families in their local communities and donations will be directed to local Feeding America food banks based on the donor’s zip code. The company stressed that every US$1 donated will help provide at least ten meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local partner food banks.Matter started its Chaya Kickstarter Campaign to support women farmers in Zimbabwe (Image Credit: Matter).

Business News
The microalgae protein company, Brevel opened its first commercial plant, covering 27,000 square feet in the desert periphery of Israel. According to the company, the facility can produce hundreds of tons of clean, non-GMO and environmentally-friendly microalgae protein powder for the global alternative protein market. The plant will enable Brevel to introduce its protein to the commercial food market, with production starting by the first quarter of 2025. The facility will produce protein extracted from chlorella microalgae, known for its full amino-acid profile, neutral flavor and negligible environmental footprint. The company said the plant employs a unique method that combines light and fermentation, resulting in nutrient-rich microalgae without genetic modification. Brevel highlights that the manufacturing process is waste-free and utilizes all components of the algae.

Marinova revealed that it monitors the growth of Undaria pinnatifida, a brown seaweed native to Japan and hand harvests substantial quantities of it to produce its high-purity fucoidan for nutritional and skin care applications. The seaweed inhabits the subtidal zone down to depths of approximately 20 meters. It is found in sheltered reef areas which are subject to oceanic influence but not exposed to high wave action. Conditions such as temperature, light and depth are all important variables in its life cycle. Undaria seaweed can reach approximately two meters in length in less than one year and its growth rates can be up to one cm a day.Bausch + Lomb introduced Blink NutriTears, a nutritional supplement to alleviate dry eye symptoms.

Product Launches
Kemin Industries launched CholiGEM, an advanced rumen-protected choline supplement for animal nutrition, into the US dairy market. According to the company, the offering addresses fatty liver and ketosis in lactating dairy cows and improves milk production, reproduction and overall health of the animals. The supplement’s key ingredient, choline, enhances liver metabolic functions and increases milk fat and protein yield. Kemin also highlighted that 50–60% of post-calving cows experience fatty liver, which affects production and health. It also helps optimize liver health during this phase, reducing metabolic disorders. CholiGEM contains 60% choline chloride, significantly higher than the market average of 28%, which allows for more flexible diet formulations and its high bioavailability reduces fatty liver risks and ketosis. Additionally, Kemin said CholiGEM contributes to a greener footprint for dairy operations by maintaining optimal health with a lower inclusion rate.

The Bausch + Lomb Corporation unveiled its eye health nutritional supplement, Blink NutriTears, for the US market. The dry eye solution is an over-the-counter supplement clinically proven to address dry eye causes, promote tear production and provide symptom relief within two to four weeks. The company highlighted that Blink NutriTears offers a new option beyond eye drops to support the approximately 150 million adults who suffer from dry eye symptoms in the US. The company said the problem is now affecting younger demographics due to factors like increased digital device use and environmental stressors. Blink NutriTears contains lutein, zeaxanthin, curcumin and vitamin D, shown to improve ocular symptoms.The University of Copenhagen looked at the arguments people use to justify meat consumption.

Scientific studies
A new study by the University of Copenhagen, which looked at six focus group discussions with Danish consumers, noted the arguments used to justify meat consumption. Published in Sage Journals, the study shows how people justify their reluctance to cut down on meat consumption when in social settings. While all the groups agreed reducing meat consumption is one of the most effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emission they still defended their meat consumption habits with a variety of excuses and justifications. For example, some were based on not having the necessary knowledge, or that there is a biological need for meat, or that meals without meat just aren’t filling. Other justifications cast doubt on whether the actual climate footprint of meat production was as large as it is purported to be and, at times, blame was assigned to other members of the household.

A recent rodent model study conducted by researchers from the University of Belgrade, Serbia; Sao Paulo State University, Brazil, the University of California Davis, US and the University Hospital Bonn, Germany found that lemon flavonoid extract Eriomin improves antioxidant status and affects cholesterol metabolism without affecting serum cholesterol levels. The study, published in Maturitas, aimed to assess the antioxidant capacity of the lemon flavonoid extract Eriomin and its impact on cholesterol metabolism in the context of healthy aging. The scientists orally treated 24-month-old male Wistar rats with 40 mg per kg of the extract suspended in 0.3 mL of sunflower oil. Control groups received an equal volume of sunflower oil or remained untreated daily for four weeks. The results indicate that the extract acts as an antioxidant against oxidative stress in the liver and small intestine of aged rats. The cholesterol-lowering effect of the lemon extract was not observed in the experimental setup. The decrease in cholesterol degradation products, such as oxysterols 7α-hydroxycholesterol and 24-hydroxycholesterol, as well as the decrease in desmosterol, a direct precursor of cholesterol in its biosynthesis, together with unchanged total cholesterol levels, reflects the maintenance of cholesterol homeostasis.

By Inga de Jong and William Bradford Nichols