meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Plain English with Derek Thompson

Plain English BEST OF: What’s the Matter With America’s Food?

Plain English with Derek Thompson

The Ringer

News, News Commentary

4.72.1K Ratings

🗓️ 3 February 2026

⏱️ 50 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Throughout December and January, we’ve been re-airing some of our favorite episodes of the past year and beyond, and today's episode marks the end of our "best of" series for this year! This list includes interviews that really stuck with me and some others that you guys had tons of feedback and thoughts on … including this one!“What’s the Matter With America’s Food?” originally aired September 26, 2025.If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, email us at PlainEnglish@Spotify.com.Host: Derek ThompsonGuests: Julia Belluz and Kevin HallProducer: Devon Baroldi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

If you're a fan of the inner workings of Hollywood, then check out my podcast, The Town, on the Ringer Podcast Network.

0:05.7

My name's Matt Bellany. I'm founding partner at Puck and the writer of the What I'm Hearing newsletter.

0:10.4

And with my show, The Town, I bring you the inside conversation about money and power in Hollywood.

0:15.2

Every week, we've got three short episodes featuring real Hollywood insiders to tell you what people in town are actually talking about.

0:21.7

We'll cover everything from why your favorite show is canceled overnight, which streamer is on

0:26.0

the brink of collapse, and which executives on the hot seat. Disney, Netflix, who's up, down,

0:31.3

and who'll never eat lunch in this town again? Follow the town on Spotify or wherever you get your

0:36.1

podcast.

0:40.5

Hi, everybody. Follow the town on Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. Hi everybody, Derek here. In December, my wife and I welcomed our second baby girl into the world.

0:46.2

I'm going to be taking some time off, but we wanted to keep the pod going through the holidays.

0:49.8

So we're going to be re-airing some of our favorite episodes from the last 12 months, a kind of

0:55.6

best of compendium.

0:57.7

And this list includes interviews that really stuck with me and others that really stuck with

1:01.9

you and you had lots of feedback and thoughts on, including this one.

1:04.9

I'll be back in the new year with fresh content, but until then, happy new year.

1:11.8

In the last few weeks, we've done several episodes on this show about obesity,

1:15.8

GOP1 drugs, and nutrition science.

1:18.4

What we haven't talked about as much is the politics of food.

1:23.9

And today's guests say,

1:25.7

if you really want to understand why Americans are so unhealthy,

1:28.7

you have to see that the problem is not just our willpower.

1:32.0

It's not just our food itself.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Ringer, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Ringer and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.