Each week, Food Tank is rounding up a few news stories that inspire excitement, infuriation, or curiosity.
Ocean Temperatures Hit Alarming New Record in 2025
The world’s oceans absorbed a record amount of heat in 2025, marking the highest level ever recorded, according to a new study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences.
Oceans absorb about 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by rising greenhouse gas emissions, according to NASA, making ocean heat content a key indicator of the changing climate. “Global warming is ocean warming,” says Professor John Abraham of the University of St. Thomas, a co-author of the study.
Rising ocean temperatures can intensify extreme events like hurricanes, cyclones, and heavy rainfall, while also driving longer marine heatwaves that damage marine ecosystems. Warmer water expands as it heats, contributing directly to sea level rise and increasing risks for coastal communities worldwide.
The researchers conclude that ocean warming will continue until global greenhouse gas emissions reach net‑zero, warning that delaying emissions reductions will lock in further impacts on oceans and climate systems.
U.S. Withdraws from 66 International Organizations
The United States has formally withdrawn from 66 international organizations, nearly half of which are affiliated with the United Nations, according to a Presidential Memorandum signed by President Donald Trump. The affected bodies work across sectors including public health, climate change, migration, peacebuilding, and education.
The memorandum states that these organizations “undermine America’s independence” and “promote radical climate policies” that conflict with U.S. sovereignty and economic priorities. The administration claims the withdrawal will prevent taxpayer dollars from funding “ineffective or hostile agendas.”
Experts say the move marks a major shift in U.S. global engagement. Nina Schwalbe of Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Policy and Politics calls the decision “ridiculous and dangerous,” adding that if exiting the World Health Organization in 2024 was like “cutting down a tree,” this broader withdrawal is akin to “cutting down the whole forest.”
Will 2026 See a New Farm Bill?
Congress has not passed a new five-year Farm Bill since the last one expired in 2023, instead opting for temporary one-year extensions. A new essay by Kathleen Merrigan and Christopher Neubert of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University questions whether comprehensive five-year legislation will return at all.
Traditionally, Merrigan and Neubert explain, Congress has been able to pass Farm Bills because farmers in support of subsidies and anti-hunger advocates see the advantage in working together to build the bipartisan support needed to pass the legislation.
But the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed in July 2025, altered that dynamic, cutting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding by US$186 billion over ten years while increasing farm subsidies by US$60 billion. As a result of those changes and current divisions in Congress, the authors believe a regular five-year Farm Bill may be out of reach, writing that it’s more likely the stalemate in Congress “will continue indefinitely.”
Instead, Congress may continue to extend programs through smaller bills rather than attempt a full Farm Bill overhaul. Without new legislation, they conclude, food and agriculture advocates will need to reassess strategies for advancing their policy priorities.
Carson and Oz Praise Trump-Vance Administration’s Focus on “Real Food”
Dr. Ben Carson, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Advisor for Nutrition, Health, and Housing, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, say the Trump-Vance Administration is “Making America Healthy Again” by shifting nutrition policy toward whole foods. In a joint op-ed, they argue that the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines finally prioritize the well-being of Americans after decades of ultra-processed diets.
Carson and Oz cite the USDA Plan for American Ranchers and Consumers and the US$700 million Regenerative Agriculture Pilot Program as steps to support local farmers and reduce long-term production costs. “By making milk, raising cattle, and growing wholesome fruits, vegetables, and grains, they hold the key to solving our national health crisis,” they write.
Organizations like Friends of the Earth applaud the intent of these programs, but note that these measures may fall short unless recent cuts to funding and staff needed to help farmers design and implement regenerative practices are reversed. The Trump-Vance Administration has also not addressed how millions of U.S. households will access whole foods following the largest cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in history.
Sudan Marks 1,000 Days of Conflict
Sudan has now endured 1,000 days of conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, a civil war that began in April 2023. The violence has triggered one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises: an estimated 33.7 million people, two-thirds of the country’s population, will need assistance in 2026, and 21 million are expected to face acute food insecurity, UNICEF reports.
Children make up half of those affected, with around 5,000 displaced every day due to ongoing violence. Hunger is also becoming “increasingly gendered,” according to Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Female-headed households are three times more likely to experience food insecurity, with 75 percent lacking sufficient food.
The U.N. is calling for urgent humanitarian access to hard-hit areas, including the cities of al-Fashir and Kadugli, where famine conditions are escalating under continued siege by armed groups. Officials warn that without immediate aid, conditions will further deteriorate.
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Photo courtesy of Cody Mclain, Unsplash
