GRANITE FALLS, Minn., Nov. 21, 2023 – The fourth episode of “Minnesota’s Alt-Meat Revolution” looks at the complexities of diet change: The presence of PURIS — which is the supplier of pea protein to many plant-based protein products — hasn’t really changed the "meat and potatoes" diet of local people. The episode is available to stream at www.pioneer.org/altmeat.
Amber Boyens says that diet change is hard because “food is so deeply rooted in who we are. It's rooted in our memories, in our culture, in our traditions, in our family, in our lifestyle. So when we make changes to food, it can feel very personal.” She also explains that people’s dietary preferences are developed at a very early age — even in utero. So the episode features a preschool class that Amber helps to introduce a new food to: chickpeas.
But at Twin Cities Veg Fest in Minneapolis, Unny Nambodiripad, who co-founded the fest, says that his experience with diet change has been quite different. His parents immigrated from India and Unny grew up in the United States eating a variety of foods. ”This is the great thing about being a second generation immigrant: … I could eat all Indian food every day for the rest of my life and be happy or not eat it at all and be totally fine."
“Minnesota’s Alt-Meat Revolution” is a year-long video and print journalism collaboration project, looking into the roots and impact of the plant-protein phenomenon that’s exploding across the globe. The project is a partnership between Pioneer PBS, West Central Tribune and WORLD, with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Each video story will be accompanied by a newspaper article by reporter Tom Cherveny of the West Central Tribune. The videos and articles are available at www.pioneer.org/altmeat and www.wctrib.com/news/local/altmeat.
“Minnesota’s Alt-Meat Revolution,” together with WHRO’s “Against the Current,” a multiplatform series that will tell the story of rural residents’ lives as they live with, and adapt to, the effects of climate change in Virginia’s Eastern Shore, will be broadcast nationally and streamed under WORLD’s “Local, USA” umbrella as “My Home is Here: Stories of Rural America.”
About Compass
Compass is an award-winning, solutions journalism-centered Pioneer PBS series that features current topics relevant to communities in Pioneer PBS's viewing area. Funding for Compass is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Shalom Hill Farms and members of Pioneer PBS. Learn more at www.pioneer.org/compass.
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About WORLD
WORLD shares the best of public media in news, documentaries and programming. WORLD’s original series examine the issues and amplify the voices of those often ignored by mainstream media. The multicast 24/7 channel helps audiences understand conflicts, movements and cultures from around the globe. Its original work has won a Peabody Award, an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award, an International Documentary Association Award, a National News and Documentary Emmy Award, two Webby Awards and many others honoring diversity of content and makers. WORLD is carried by 193 member stations in markets representing 75% of US TV households. Funding for WORLD is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Wyncote Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts and Artworks. WORLD is produced by GBH in partnership with WNET and is distributed by American Public Television (APT). Find out more at www.WORLDChannel.org.