Plus: Dolores Huerta’s take on ICE farmworker raids |
| I’m back from vacation, and the top reports that I’ve been catching up on are all surrounding Make America Healthy Again. There’s been a major test of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership transpiring: More than 200 MAHA activists signed a letter to President Donald Trump asking to block the U.S. House bill limiting the regulation of pesticides and ‘forever chemicals’—which includes liability shields for pesticide companies. Reuters reports that these MAHA supporters warn that allowing the appropriations bill to proceed could imperil Republicans’ House majority in upcoming elections . And the pressure from these core MAHA voters is mounting at the same time as corporate agricultural interests and farm lobbyists are pushing from the opposite end—as they worry about “a crackdown on agrochemicals.” This is where the MAHA Commission’s highly anticipated second report comes into play. Recall the first report, published in May, which mentions pesticides some 25 times for their potential risk to human health. MAHA devotees said it didn’t go far enough, while many in the agriculture industry were sent reeling. The second edition was set to publish this week, but is now delayed. And there’s a lot of speculation as to why, and particularly how much has to do with the fractures emerging within the MAHA movement. And as Stat News points out, this is also playing out as Kennedy is facing blame for inciting the deadly shooting last Friday at the headquarters for the Centers for Disease Control and Protection by an anti-vaxxer gunman. CNN reports that the second MAHA report has been expected to “propose strategies and reforms to tackle” issues laid out in the first report, and that those actions could include a presidential executive order or ending certain federal policies that “exacerbate the health crisis” and “adding powerful new solutions.” But Politico is reporting that the White House has given assurances to agriculture lobbyists that the forthcoming report “will not include new policy around pesticide use.” We shall see. As Marion Nestle wrote this week in her newsletter, Food Politics, “Clearly, much is at stake. It looks like MAHA versus the realities of MAGA.” On that note, as I transition back from being out-of-office, here’s your friendly reminder to soak up as much of summer as you can right now. Make the most of these last few weeks! |
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 | | ETHAN PINES, CODY PICKENS, ALEXANDER KARNUKHIN, AND SHAWN HUBBARD FOR FORBES |
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| For 11 years and counting, Forbes has partnered with TrueBridge Capital Partners to release its list of 25 venture-backed startups we think are most likely to reach a $1 billion valuation. The list is one to watch: Of the 250 alumni we’ve selected over the years, 56% became unicorns, including DoorDash, Figma and Anduril. |
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| ICE WATCH: Dolores Huerta, the 95-year-old farm labor activist who is a cofounder of the United Farm Workers, got candid with Politico about the state of agriculture amid the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown. “You just have to stay busy,” the longtime vegetarian says. |
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| Pierogi-gate: Who else has been enjoying the news of Alan Dershowitz’s farmers market feud on Martha’s Vineyard a little too much? As Axios reports, Dershowitz was twice denied an order at Good Pierogi’s stand due to his legal representation of Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump, and the dispute is escalating. |
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| Tropical Storm Erin: The first major storm of the season, Erin, is expected to be at hurricane-strength by Saturday when projections have Erin arriving as a Category 3 hurricane around the northeast of Puerto Rico, as reported by Forbes’ breaking news desk. |
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| I’ve been staying hydrated this summer thanks in no small part to the plethora of brands that are doing what it takes to stay on shelves in perhaps the most competitive market in the consumer packaged goods industry. About $200 billion worth of beverages has been purchased in the past year, according to SPINS—and some 2% are emerging brands. But even still, given their size emerging brands are “overcontributing to growth” in the beverage industry, according to SPINS. Emerging brands as a segment are up over 17% in terms of dollars and 11% in terms of units. Here are my go-tos: |
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| Calling all Fresh Take-ers in the Buffalo and Toronto area! I’d love to meet you on Wednesday, September 17—I’ll be doing a talk with the food-focused bookstore Read It & Eat about my book Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed and the Fight for the Future of Meat. The event will be hosted by Caitlin and Tom Moriarty at Moriarty Meats, who will be providing regional specialty sandwiches—boeuf on weck—to fuel us through an evening of live butchery demonstration, an author Q&A, and book signing. See you there! Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. 1652 Elmwood Ave. Buffalo, NY Get your ticket here. |
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| Thanks for reading the 154th edition of Forbes Fresh Take! Hit reply to let me know what you think. |
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