Researchers at UCSF argue that sugar poses a danger to health and should be regulated like alcohol and tobacco. Is sugar just empty calories, or something much worse?
Claire Brindis, professor of pediatrics and director of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF
Fredric Kraemer, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Gerontology and Metabolism at the Stanford University School of Medicine
Jo Ann Hattner, registered dietician and consultant at the Stanford School of Medicine
Robert Goldberg, vice president and co-founder of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and author of "Tabloid Medicine"
Officials say the average farmer in California is nearly 60 years old -- and nearly 20 percent are older than 70. They say without an influx of younger and more ethnically diverse farmers, the state's $37 billion industry will suffer.
KQED's Forum discusses the graying of the agriculture industry in a broadcast from our Sacramento studios.
Craig McNamara, president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, owner of Sierra Orchards and president and founder of the Center for Land Based Learning
Emma Torbert, farmer and partner at The Cloverleaf at Bridgeway Farms
Rich Collins, farmer and owner of California Vegetable Specialties
Thomas Vang, outreach specialist with the Lao Family Community of Stockton
The Bay Area has been at the forefront of a coffee renaissance in recent years, and local boutique companies like Blue Bottle, Ritual and Four Barrel are now spreading their roasting philosophy -- and their coffee beans -- across the country. KQED's Forum talks to some of the entrepreneurs behind the so-called "third-wave" coffee movement.
The Bay Area's foodie culture has gone mobile in recent years, as food trucks offering everything from creme brulee to empanadas to curry-filled burritos have proliferated. But in San Francisco, some restaurant owners say the carts are cutting into their business and are asking City Hall to step in. Meanwhile, food truck vendors complain about the red tape and confusing permit process. Both sides are unhappy with the current rules, and they have come to the table to hash out new regulations.
Roughly one in five San Francisco residents doesn't have enough to eat, leading more than 100,000 per month to rely on the San Francisco Food Bank. A recent study found that even after building supermarkets in poor neighborhoods, many residents continue to rely on fast food restaurants, leading to preventable health problems. KQED's Forum discusses what some advocates are doing to improve the availability of healthy food.
Cora E. Lewis, professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alabama's Comprehensive Diabetes Center
Lena Miller, founder and co-executive director of Hunter's Point Family, a community-based development organization for at-risk Bayview Hunter's Point families
Yousef Elhaj in his shop. Courtesy: TheCornerDocumentary.org
Like many corner stores, Yousef Elhaj's San Francisco shop is the nucleus of the neighborhood. The documentary "Corner Store" -- produced and directed by one of Elhaj's customers -- follows the Palestinian immigrant's efforts to make a success of his small business as he tries to reunite with his wife and children.
Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical commonly used in household products, can interfere with the effectiveness of drugs used to fight breast cancer, according to a new California Pacific Medical Center study. Find out about the new research and a proposed California ban on BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups manufactured or sold in the state.
Host: Dave Iverson
Guests:
Victoria Colliver, health care Reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle
William Goodson M.D., senior clinical research scientist at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute. His specialty is cancer surgery.
In 1971, Alice Waters and some friends opened a neighborhood bistro in Berkeley with the aim of serving meals with the food and atmosphere of a dinner party at home. Forty years later, the way the nation eats has been dramatically changed by Chez Panisse. As the restaurant marks its anniversary, Forum talks with local chefs and food writers about the impact Chez Panisse has had on the local and national food scene.
Michael Bauer, executive food and wine editor and restaurant critic for The San Francisco Chronicle and member of the James Beard Foundation Restaurant Awards Committee
Sustainable Meat and the Art of Butchery
In recent years, more chefs and consumers are demanding local, sustainable meats, driving some to raise and butcher their own livestock. KQED's Forum gets into the gristle with three butchers and talk all about meat, from what consumers should be asking at the counter to how to cook a whole pig in the backyard.