Food Policy Advisor Urges New Language to Address System Crises

Elysabeth Alfano's research brief argues that neutral language about food choices obscures systemic weaknesses like soaring beef and egg prices. She points to drought and animal pandemics as causes, and calls for a common language to build resilience. The piece is part of a Media Education Lab special issue on food as ecomedia literacy.

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The research brief highlights concrete market signals of fragility. Ground beef reached $6.69 per pound in December 2025, a 19.3% annual increase and 72% rise since 2020, with the USDA forecasting another 6.9% wholesale jump in 2026. The U.S. cattle herd has contracted to 86.2 million head, its lowest level in 75 years, driven by prolonged drought and animal-borne disease outbreaks. Egg prices show similar strain from avian flu.

Alfano argues that industry rhetoric and press framing control public conversation about food, preventing acknowledgment that the system requires fundamental restructuring. She contends that polarized political discourse makes it nearly impossible to propose practical improvements—efficiency, resiliency, protein diversity, better soil management—without being accused of taking sides. Her proposed common language aims to separate these operational concerns from