CLIMATE-FRIENDLY CHICKEN IS HERE: Environmentally conscious consumers will soon be able to buy "carbon-reduced" chicken that's partially raised on food waste diverted from grocery stores. Do Good Chicken , which launches at major national retailers in February, is a sign of things to come as the food industry increasingly grapples with consumer concern about the climate crisis. New co. in the barnyard: In this case, the product comes from Do Good Foods, a startup with substantial financial backing and working with some of the most well-known names in food. Last week, founders Justin and Matt Kamine held a Food Tank event with Sam Kass, who served as nutrition policy advisor to former President Barack Obama and is now chief strategy officer for the company, as well as former Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, who's advising the company, and Tom Colicchio, a well-known chef and advocate, who said he looked forward to serving the chicken at his restaurants. What does "carbon-reduced" mean? Do Good Chicken bills itself as the "first domestic chicken brand actively combating climate change." The company worked with USDA to clear its labels before market, as required. The labels will say that each chicken saves four pounds of food waste from going into the landfill and, along with it, three pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. How it works: The company currently has one facility in Fairless Hills, Pa., where it can convert 160 tons of retail food waste per day into components for chicken feed, which is then used by contract growers to raise the birds. The company, which recently announced it raised $169 million from Nuveen, is aiming to scale this model nationwide. "We think we can convert the vast majority of retail food waste in the next five to 10 years," Kass tells MA. Priced below organic: The details of the company's retail rollout haven't been announced yet, but Kass said the product will be "priced for the many, not for the few." The price point will be "significantly" below organic, but above conventional chicken, he said. The climate boom: Consumer packaged goods companies are turning to climate claims to appeal to millennial and Gen Z consumers who are very concerned about environmental impact (and let's not forget, many of these companies have also made ambitious climate pledges). Two quick examples: Horizon Organic dairy is now on the market with claims it will be "carbon positive" by 2025 (meaning beyond net-zero emissions). Cascadian Farms is also on the market with "climate-smart" cereal made with Kernza, a perennial grain that helps sequester more carbon. FOOD COSTS ON THE UP AND UP? Food prices remain high, with at-home prices up 6.4 percent for the 12 months ending in November compared with 2020, and away-from-home prices up 5.8 percent, according to the latest consumer price index data. The biggest contributor? Meat. Beef prices increased nearly 21 percent from the year ending in November. And in one month, from October to November, pork prices jumped 2.2 percent, reports POLITICO's Hannah Farrow. Blaming big meatpackers: The White House attributes rising meat prices to "dominant corporations in uncompetitive markets," where "just four large conglomerates control approximately 55-85 percent of the market for pork, beef and poultry." The gross profits of the four largest meatpackers have "increased by more than 120 percent since before the pandemic, and their net income has surged by 500 percent," according to a White House analysis released Friday. What USDA is doing about it: The department is offering financial support for small meat processors, including about $1 billion now available through its loan guarantee program. The administration has also pledged to "crack down on illegal price fixing, enforce antitrust laws and bring more transparency to the meat-processing industry. WHITE HOUSE TOUTS 'COST CUTTING' EFFORTS: In a memo released Saturday , White House officials defended the administration's "swift and decisive action to combat high prices, ease inflationary pressures and make sure America's families can put food on the table," citing the investments in small meat processors and federal grants to help farm goods move in and out of the nation's congested ports. On Friday, the Transportation Department awarded $12.6 million to "marine highway projects to help move agricultural goods to market faster." The memo takes yet another swing at big meat processors, saying that price increases are a result "of corporate decisions that take advantage of consumers, farmers and ranchers, and our economy." The memo also highlights potential solutions in Democrats' $1.75 trillion social spending package, which passed the House and is under negotiation in the Senate. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is aiming to pass the bill by Christmas — but the calendar is shrinking. The GOP's own campaign: Republicans, meanwhile, are shelling out millions of dollars on ad campaigns in key 2022 Senate battlegrounds, warning voters that inflation is "killing us," reports POLITICO's Burgess Everett. For context: Consumer prices in general are rising at record rates, fueling the GOP attacks against Biden's policies. POLITICO's Ben White explains. BIDEN CALLS OUT KELLOGG: The president made a rare interlude Friday into employer-employee relations when he condemned Kellogg Co.'s plans to permanently replace striking workers at the company's cereal plants. "I am deeply troubled by reports of Kellogg's plans to permanently replace striking workers," Biden said in a statement, adding that such a move amounts to "an existential attack on the union and its members' jobs and livelihoods." It's hardly the administration's first show of support for organizing efforts, particularly in the food and ag sectors. In October, Vilsack himself visited John Deere workers striking in Iowa, and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh joined the striking Kellogg workers the same month. | 
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