Iowa hunters donate approximately 3,500 deer carcasses a year. Known as the Help U.S. Stop Hunger (HUSH) program, the venison goes to food banks in the state providing a protein source at a time when grocery budgets are under strain.
On this episode of River to River, host Ben Kieffer speaks with Samantha Horton about how minimal regulatory requirements around the program have raised some concerns from experts. We hear from a food pantry director, a food sanitation expert and a scientist who studies the prevalence of lead in programs like HUSH.
This episode originally aired June 14, 2022.
Guests:
- Samantha Horton, Fellow for NPR’s Midwest Newsroom
- Kim Guardado, food reservoir director at Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP)
- Angela Anandappa, executive director at Alliance for Advanced Sanitation
- Given Harper, hunter and ecologist at Illinois Wesleyan University
