Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future

Helena and Theodore team up with veteran food policy journalist Tom Philpott from the Unconfined podcast from the Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University.

New Unconfined Episode! Reporter @hbottemiller.bsky.social & Theodore Ross of @thefern.org, co-hosts of Forked podcast, tease out the contradictions & paradoxes of food policy in the age of Trump & Robert F. Kennedy Jr. clf.jhsph.edu/unconfined-p...
#CLFUnconfined

We hosted the @americanhealth.bsky.social Fellows for a special field trip to the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF), where we shared key projects addressing public health in food systems. #BloombergAmericanHealthSummit25

As the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement first took shape in late 2024 and early 2025, there was a cautious curiosity and optimism expressed by some in the food systems and public health realms. clf.jhsph.edu/viewpoints/m... #CLFPolicySpotlight

CLF is delighted to announce the awarding of two pre-doctoral fellowships for the 2025-2026 academic year, bringing the number of current CLF-Lerner Fellows to eight: Matthew A. Aubourg, MSPH, a PhD student & Andrew Vargas, BS, a PhD student. clf.jhsph.edu/about-us/new...

Roni Neff shed light on #foodwaste and how better food labeling can play a pivotal role in reducing it at @foodtank.bsky.social #NYCClimateWeek! www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxDQS...

Check out the latest episode of Unconfined with Leo Horrigan! He discusses his new CLF book focused on the power of soil microbes to #regenerate #healthysoil, capture carbon, and grow nutritious crops. clf.jhsph.edu/soil-microbe...

Spanning the nexus of human, environmental, and animal health, this article explores the animal ethics tradeoffs of farming aquatic animals. foodprint.org/blog/why-far... #FarmedSeafood #AnimalEthics #Aquaculture

Fred Kirschenmann, 90, died on September 13, 2025. He will undoubtedly be remembered worldwide as a national and international leader in the sustainable agriculture movement.
clf.jhsph.edu/viewpoints/r...

The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) is saddened by news of the death of our friend and ally, Rick Dove, who died on August 22, 2025, from the effects of a stroke. clf.jhsph.edu/viewpoints/s...

In this episode of Unconfined, Michelle Hughes despairs over federal funding freezes for land-access programs and rebounds with an optimistic vision for the long-term future in which young farmers regenerate not only soil, but the industry as a whole.
clf.jhsph.edu/landing-youn...

NEW BOOK! "What If Soil Microbes Mattered? Our Health Depends on Them," written by CLF's food correspondent, Leo Horrigan, advocates for advancing soil-centered farming methods as a way to benefit public health, the environment & rural communities. clf.jhsph.edu/about-us/new...

Jessica Culpepper: The Problem of Agricultural Exceptionalism Legal systems alone cannot reform food systems.

As an attorney with decades of experience in the food systems movement, Jessica Culpepper knows that legal advocacy is a powerful tool in food systems reform. But legal strategy alone is not enough. clf.jhsph.edu/viewpoints/j...

Faster lines, less federal oversight and rising risks at US pork and poultry plants  - Investigate Midwest A pig’s head arrives in front of Christopher Lopez. He knows the drill: cut into the area behind the ears, find two small lymph nodes and incise them three or four times each. Check the nose and mouth...

“What we found in our review of literature was that there’s strong evidence that line speeds are associated with higher worker perceptions of injury risk,” said CLF's Patti Truant Anderson. investigatemidwest.org/2025/08/13/f...

12 journalists spent the day learning the ins & outs of sustainable production of two of the region’s most important aquatic foods. The trip was part of the 2nd annual cohort of the CLF's Food Systems & Public Health Fellowship for Journalists. clf.jhsph.edu/stories/jour...

Disquiet in North Dakota Town as Mega-Dairy Tries to Move In Community members in Abercrombie are fighting to prevent a new mega-dairy with 12,000 cows.

“There was no transparency about the project in the community,” says Erik Olson. “But my eyes opened up in that first meeting. I didn’t even know about CAFOs before then, and this news was a little bit of a shock not just for myself, but for everybody.” clf.jhsph.edu/viewpoints/d...

Land's End

In this episode of Unconfined, author @mikegrunwald.bsky.social & host @tomphilpott.bsky.social grapple with the future of food in a warming world. clf.jhsph.edu/unconfined-p...

Trump Pollution Exemptions Would Shield Lawbreakers, Endanger Millions This story was published in partnership with Public Health Watch. Late in the Biden administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

CLF's Keeve Nachman told @publichealthwatch.bsky.social that the evidence of ethylene oxide’s carcinogenicity has only gotten stronger since the EPA assigned its risk value in 2016. Delaying implementation of the HON rule “doesn’t make any sense,” Nachman said. environmentalmag.org/trump-pollut...

Empowering nutrition and healthcare professionals to offer guidance from a food systems perspective can lead to more meaningful outcomes and promote solutions that are both effective and widely accepted. -Becky Ramsing #CLFExpert

In June, Becky Ramsing had the opportunity to speak at 2 different meetings: The Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) International Symposium on Nutrition, Health &Sustainability in Hong Kong & the Healthcare Culinary Conference. #CLFExpert

In this episode of Unconfined, author #BreaBaker teases out the 20th century’s great dispossession of Black farmers, and reports on a budding revival of African-American agrarianism. clf.jhsph.edu/Podcast/blac... #ROOTED

Study Reveals Environmental Impacts of Seafood in U.S. | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Research by scientists at Johns Hopkins University examines the environmental footprint of aquatic foods and identifies the most sustainable choices for U.S. consumers.

Our recent study found that frozen, fresh, or canned sockeye salmon, frozen Alaska pollock & canned tuna are the best choices. These products have a low carbon footprint & require little freshwater to produce.” – Dave Love #CLFExpert
publichealth.jhu.edu/2025/study-r...

What type of seafood is healthiest? Here’s what experts recommend. Eating seafood is good for your brain, eye and heart health. But 90 percent of U.S. adults aren’t eating enough.

“When I think about shopping for healthy seafood, I also think about the need for clean and healthy oceans, lakes, and streams that support our aquatic food system.” – Dave Love #CLFExpert
www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...

CLF is delighted to announce the new fellows who comprise the 2025 cohort of the Food Systems and Public Health Fellowship for Journalists. The 2025 cohort is the fellowship’s second cohort and is composed of 12 journalists. clf.jhsph.edu/about-us/new...

In Episode 18 of Unconfined,James Skeet re-imagines an agricultural practice that relies on indigenous regenerative intelligence. clf.jhsph.edu/unconfined-p...

CLF and the CSI-EJ Initiative announced its inaugural Elsie Herring Community Leader Fellows in November 2024, which has two tracks—a senior mentor/transition track, and a junior/next generation career development track. clf.jhsph.edu/stories/supp...

CLF's Chris Heaney has been working to close that gap and develop a new tool in collaboration with residents that can be used to identify when air pollution comes from pig waste. sentientmedia.org/scientists-f...

CLF will watch closely to see what the #MAHA Commission includes in their first report. Here’s what we will look for when the 2025-2030 dietary guidelines are released. clf.jhsph.edu/viewpoints/d... #PublicHealth

Promised grocery store in East Baltimore faces uncertain future Despite $1.35 million in state funding and federal grants allocated for a grocery store in East Baltimore's food desert, developers and Lidl remain silent on whether the project will move forward.

CLF's Darriel Harris explained the disparity in grocery store distribution across Baltimore, noting that Canton has three grocery stores and a Target within a mile of each other, while fresh food options are limited in East Baltimore. www.wmar2news.com/matterformal...

In this episode of Unconfined, author @austinfrerick.bsky.social discusses the barons who dominate US food production, including an Iowa farm couple who spun enormous, manure-spewing hog operations into a vast fortune. clf.jhsph.edu/monopoly-mon...