Stories by Barry Estabrook

Barry Estabrook is a former contributing editor at Gourmet magazine. His work on a dairy farm and fishing boat taught him that writing about food was easier than producing it.

Is Gulf Seafood Safe to Eat?

Posted on: May 26, 2011, Source: The Atlantic

Experts seem to the think the answer is 'yes.' But there's still a lot to be learned about how the damage from the spill will affect the ecosystem.

How the Florida Tomato Industry Went from Being One of the Most Repressive Employers to the Most Progressive

Posted on: Apr 21, 2011, Source: The Atlantic

For an industry that has nine cases of slavery prosecuted in the last 15 years, that's really saying something.

The Health of the Gulf: Fishermen and Oilmen Clash

Posted on: Mar 11, 2011, Source: The Atlantic

With the oil industry shifting from friendly PR to legal battles, competing narratives about Gulf marine life have emerged.

Why Santa Barbara Is the Perfect Example of Our Messed Up Food System

Posted on: Feb 16, 2011, Source: The Atlantic

The agricultural county exports 99 percent of what is grown there while 95 percent of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the county are shipped in from elsewhere.

Huge Victory in the Fight For Fair Wages in Our Tomato Fields

Posted on: Nov 18, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

The Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, which represents virtually all the tomato farmers in the state, has signed on to the important Fair Food Principles.

The Vegetable Express: A Way to Sell Produce to Those in Need

Posted on: Oct 3, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

One Vermont farm has found a creative way to get healthy food to underserved communities.

Where the Salmonella Really Came From

Posted on: Sep 10, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

The cause of this outbreak is factory farming, which has also been the cause of virtually every instance of bacterial food contamination we have seen here in recent years.

Food News Roundup: The Best and Worst of What's Going on in the World of Food

Posted on: Aug 9, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

Defeat of overtime pay for farmworkers, failure to protect endangered salmon, herbicide-resistant weeds rampant. However, some Gulf fishermen are allowed to return to work.

Could Dairies Double as Clean Power Plants?

Posted on: Jul 14, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

Converting cow manure into a renewable source of fuel is one of those rare situations in which everybody and everything wins—especially the environment.

Oily Crabs, Animal Rights and the Food Industry

Posted on: Jul 9, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

Big goings-on in the food world as of late: Gulf crabs are oiled up; Ohio mulls a new anti-cruelty farming initiative; farm workers reach out; and Monsanto takes yet another hit.

Do Nitrates From Well Water Cause Cancer?

Posted on: Jul 8, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

A new study is the first to link nitrates in water with cancer. This is incredibly bad news for Americans who get their water from wells -- about 60 percent of us.

Supreme Court Rules on the Fate of Genetically Modified Foods: Who Really Won?

Posted on: Jun 24, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

Both Monsanto, which produces GM alfalfa and was trying to have the ban overturned, and the environmental groups and seed company that supported the ban came away ecstatic.

Rumble in the Jungle: Activists Vs. Palm Oil

Posted on: May 18, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

Amid a flurry of accusations between industry and environmentalists, one fact about palm oil production is clear: It's not sustainable.

Is Elena Kagan Leading Us Toward a Pro-GMO Supreme Court?

Posted on: May 14, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

Kagan has a chance to show her true colors before being nominated. Do they include shades of green?

The Wonders of Cap and Trade -- For Fishermen

Posted on: May 7, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

A new system, called "catch shares," or sectors, has worked in fisheries around the world since the concept was born in New Zealand, Australia, and Iceland in the 1970s.

U.S. Government: Telling Consumers Which Foods Are GM Is "False, Misleading or Deceptive"

Posted on: Apr 28, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

The policy is a direct carry-over from the Bush years. Want fries with that "change?"

The Raw Milk Debate: Don't Have a Cow, Man

Posted on: Apr 16, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

How safe is raw milk? Depends on who you ask (and what state you're in).

How Obama Sold the Farm: Pesticide Lobbyist Gets Key Job

Posted on: Apr 8, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

Over the weekend, Obama quietly installed a former lobbyist of the agricultural chemical industry to be the chief ag negotiator.

How a Band of Youthful Entrepreneurs Are Resuscitating an Ailing Vermont Town With a New Economy Based on Local Foods

Posted on: Mar 29, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

The book, "The Town That Food Saved," shows that Hardwick's recent history may be providing a template for a food system that could save all of us.

Revealed: Monitoring of Organic Food a Travesty

Posted on: Mar 26, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

The USDA's own Office of the Inspector General came out with a formal report on its monitoring of its organic program during the Clinton and Bush years and it's scathing.

The Bluefin Tuna Tragedy: Why the Fish May Go From Endangered to Extinct

Posted on: Mar 18, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

Thanks to lobbying pressure from Japan, the fish will not be banned from international trade, which means it's likely headed toward extinction.

Sharks: From Hunters to Hunted, and Overfished

Posted on: Mar 8, 2010, Source: The Atlantic

There are eight shark species that haven't received the media attention lavished on the high-profile bluefin -- but which, in some cases, hover even closer to extinction.

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