One Bite is Everything

Your morning coffee is sending you a message. Are you listening?

In this episode of One Bite is Everything, host Dana DiPrima explores how climate change is reshaping one of the most beloved daily rituals on the planet. Coffee may seem simple, but the story behind your cup spans deforestation, biodiversity loss, shifting growing zones, rising prices, farmer displacement, and the hard truth that Arabica is running out of the cool, stable climate it needs to survive.

Featuring insights from:

• Etelle Higonnet on coffee’s massive role in global deforestation and monoculture

• Toni Farmer on why the U.S. cannot grow its way out of a shrinking global supply

• Sam Kass on why coffee, wine, and chocolate may become luxury goods

• Nancy Matsumoto on how women-led cooperatives are building climate resilience

You will learn:

• Why half of all coffee-growing land may become unsuitable by 2050

• How climate change is pushing coffee production further uphill

• Why small increases in coffee prices trigger global food insecurity

• How women farmers are rewriting the future of coffee resilience

• What consumers can look for if they want to support more sustainable coffee

This is not just a story about coffee. It is a story about climate, farmers, and the everyday rituals that reveal how connected we are to the world that grows our food.

Support the farmers who make your food possible:

What if your dinner could change the world?

In this episode of One Bite is Everything, host Dana DiPrima sits down with Sam Kass, former White House chef, policy strategist, and author of The Last Supper, to explore how food lies at the heart of the climate crisis and could be one of our most powerful solutions.

They dive into Sam’s journey from the kitchen to the West Wing, the climate warning hidden in our everyday ingredients, and what it will really take to build a food movement that has staying power. Sam shares behind-the-scenes stories from global climate summits, candid reflections on the battles in Washington, and sharp insights into how culture, policy, and the food industry intersect.

You’ll learn:

• Why climate change is already reshaping what we eat—from chocolate to rice
• How the “Last Supper” dinners helped world leaders feel the climate crisis
• What role corporations, consumers, and voters each play in transforming the system
• The surprising story behind McDonald’s regenerative beef initiative
• How small daily choices—like what’s on your plate—can add up to systemic change

Last week, we talked about SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and how it shows up in real people’s lives. This week, we zoom out to the bigger picture: the Farm Bill, the massive piece of legislation that shapes what gets grown, what’s conserved, and who can afford to eat.

In this solo episode, host Dana DiPrima unpacks how and why SNAP ended up inside the Farm Bill, who’s fighting to separate them, and what’s really at stake for both farmers and families if that happens. From coalition politics to sugar subsidies, she traces the threads that tie our plates to our policies — and asks a powerful question:

If we disconnect farm policy from food policy, are we merely deepening the same disconnection that already plagues our food culture?

What You’ll Learn

• The origin story of the “food + farm” marriage — and why it was intentional.
• How much of the Farm Bill actually funds nutrition programs (hint: about 75%).
• Who wants to separate SNAP and the Farm Bill — and why.
• What would happen to farmers and eaters if they split.
• Why SNAP’s connection to farm policy keeps both sides politically strong.
• The quiet overlap between USDA sugar supports and SNAP purchase rules.
• How America’s cultural disconnection from food is showing up on the policy stage.

Quick Facts

• SNAP participation (FY 2024): ≈ 41.7 million people per month (12.3 % of U.S.).
• Average benefit: ≈ $187 per person per month.
• Total cost: ≈ $100 billion.
• Farm Bill budget share: ≈ 75 % nutrition programs (USDA ERS / CBO).
• First combined food + farm bill: 1973 Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act.
• 2013 precedent: House briefly passed split bills before recombining.
• USDA pilots: Testing limits on sugary drink purchases with SNAP.

(Sources: USDA ERS, CBO, CRS Reports R48167 & R47055, USDA FNS data, Heritage Foundation policy briefs, HealthEatingResearch 2025 snapshot.)

Key Question

If we split SNAP from the Farm Bill, are we fixing inefficiency or widening a cultural and political gap between the people who grow our food and the people who eat it?

Quote to Remember

“Splitting the Farm Bill and SNAP might look tidy on paper, but symbolically it says: what farmers do has nothing to do with what families eat. And that’s not true, it never has been.”

Support the Show

In this episode, we unpack the full picture of SNAP: what it is, what critics say, why some critiques are fair and others miss the point, and how the program ties into the strength of our entire food system.

You’ll hear:

• A quick history of SNAP and how it evolved from Depression-era “food stamps” into today’s $100 billion stabilizer.
• Who actually receives SNAP: families with children, seniors, people with disabilities, and millions of working Americans whose wages don’t stretch as far as they used to.
• What critics get right (and wrong) about fraud, work, and food choices.
• Why SNAP can’t simply “become more like WIC” — and why that’s not as simple or healthy as it sounds.
• What happens when SNAP is paused or defunded: the economic domino effect that hits farmers, retailers, and local economies far beyond the households using the benefits.
• And finally, why asking farmers — who already live close to the margins — to donate their way through a federal funding crisis is both unfair and unsustainable.

Because this isn’t about handouts.

It’s about understanding that food assistance is economic infrastructure.

When we weaken it, everyone pays.

Support the Show

What if the revolution our food system needs is already happening, quietly, locally, and led by women?

In this episode of One Bite is Everything, host Dana DiPrima sits down with journalist and author Nancy Matsumoto to explore the themes of her upcoming book, Reaping What She Sows: How Women Are Rebuilding Our Broken Food System, a powerful look at the women transforming agriculture from the ground up.

Nancy introduces us to a global network of women who are rejecting the extractive systems of Big Ag and building something far more resilient, regenerative, and just.

Together, this episode unpacks:

• Why women are often the catalysts for food system change, and what makes their approach different
• How small farms are navigating climate chaos, supply chain bottlenecks, and economic precarity
• What each of us can do today to support a better food future

If you've ever wondered how your food choices connect to the climate, the economy, and community resilience, this episode offers clarity, hope, and a practical path forward.