Published open access in Critical Public Health in May 2026. Header image credit: Shirley Hottier. Citation: Rao, M., Beltramo, B., Sadler, C. R., & Youssef Abboud, K. (2026). Taking cognisance of women’s domestic foodwork in the debate on ultra-processed foods. Critical Public Health, 36(1), 2664922. https://doi.org/10.1080/09581596.2026.2664922 Abstract: This commentary discusses contemporary debates on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) by foregrounding […]
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Published open access in Agriculture and Human Values in April 2026. Header image credit: Fanny Gentle for the Guardian. Citation: Rao, M., & Dam, A. T. K. (2026). Fermentation as food pedagogy: insights into how teaching fermentation facilitates engagement with the food system. Agriculture and Human Values, 43(2), 73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-026-10869-7 Abstract This paper explores the pedagogical potential of […]
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Written for the Good Food Movement as part of my monthly column ‘The Plate and the Planet’. Published in April 2025. Header image credit: Sharath Ravishankar for the Good Food Movement. Should a can of cola be taxed similarly to a pack of cigarettes? The Government of India now effectively thinks so. Under the new […]
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Illustration by Patricia Yamamoto for Prof. Alexandre Siminski, the Federal University of Santa Catarina. On the 4th of March, 2026 I gave a Studium Generale lecture titled ‘Food and the City: Building fairer, more sustainable urban food systems’ at Maastricht University’s Campus in Venlo. Drawing on my research in sustainable food systems, my upbringing in […]
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Written for the Good Food Movement as part of my monthly column ‘The Plate and the Planet’. Published in December 2025. Header image credit: Alia Sinha for the Good Food Movement. As consumers, do we have the right to know more about where our food comes from? With food borne illnesses and lifestyle disease statistics […]
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Earth to Research is a podcast that rethinks research in the context of the ecological crisis. It offers a space for researchers, educators, and students to reflect on values, explore interdisciplinary perspectives, and align research practices with environmental justice. Hosted by Dr. Lucy Sabin and supported by Vrije Universiteit Open Science, the series explores the […]
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In December 2025, I delivered a guest lecture at Leiden University College The Hague as part of the undergraduate course SDGs, Human Rights and International Law. The interdisciplinary course focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) and invites students to critically engage with questions such as: What does the human right to food entail? […]
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Written for the Good Food Movement as part of my monthly column ‘The Plate and the Planet’. Published in November 2025. Header image credit: Alia Sinha for the Good Food Movement. On October 2, 2025, the EAT-Lancet Commission, a global consortium of 70 scientists from 35 countries working at the intersection of nutrition, health, and […]
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Published open access in Open Research Europe in November 2025. The research presented in this paper was supported by the EU Horizon project CLEVERFOOD under grant agreement No. 101086320. View full text here. Citation: Gudek, L., Rao, M., & Broerse, J. (2025). Stakeholder engagement in European research and innovation: An investigation into how and why EU […]
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Written for the Good Food Movement as part of my monthly column ‘The Plate and the Planet’. Published in October 2025. Header image credit: Alia Sinha for the Good Food Movement. A few months ago, I delivered a guest lecture on policies addressing the human right to food. During the question-and-answer session that followed, a […]
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