Coffee, bananas, chocolate, and tea- and it's all fair trade! This week on Meet Your Maker, Rachel Wharton and John Taggart are speaking with Rodney North, "the Answer Man" for Equal Exchange. Tune into this episode to learn about the roots of Equal Exchange twenty-seven years ago in Latin America! Learn how Equal Exchange and other fair trade organizations provide alternative market avenues for for small producers all over the world. How has the idea of fair trade spurred change in the conventional market? Fair trade ideas have proven to be risky in Laten America; how does subverting the commercial status quo endanger farmers? Find out on this week's episode of Meet Your Maker! Thanks to our sponsor, Whole Foods Market.

"If you don't know the issues, or the stories behind the products, then you can't act- so we were trying to change that." [13:25] -- Rodney North on Meet Your Maker

This week on Straight, No Chaser, Katy Keiffer is joined in the studio by guest co-host Dr. Marion Nestle! Dr. Nestle is Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, which she chaired from 1988-2003. She is also Professor of Sociology at NYU and Visiting Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell. Katy and Dr. Nestle are talking sugar with Cristin Couzens, a senior consultant at the University of Colorado Center for Health Administration and an instructor at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. Hear about Cristin's experiences digging up the dirt of the sugar industry! Find out how the sugar business has attempted to hide the facts and abscond responsibility from the increase of Type 2 diabetes. How do sponsored studies alter scientific progress? Tune in to hear Dr. Nestle talk about some poorly-controlled scientific studies involving pomegranates, and learn just how many studies are influenced by outside corporate money. This program has been sponsored by S. Wallace Edwards & Sons.

"I'm all for suggesting that people cut down on the sources of sugars in their diet, especially through soft drinks because soft drinks have no redeeming nutritional value at all... The body is not equipped to handle that amount of sugar." [32:15] -- Dr. Marion Nestle on Straight, No Chaser

This week on The Beer Sessions, host Jimmy Carbone sits down with brewmaster Garrett Oliver of the Brooklyn Brewery and Clay Gordon of The Chocolate Life. Tune in to learn how to pair different beers and chocolates, some chocolate history, and how Garrett Oliver flavors his chocolate Brooklyn brews. Also, home-brewer Mark Zap sits in and shares some of his unique beers. This episode is sponsored by GreatBrewers.com.

"You can create chocolate-ly characters that are not from chocolate... but we've done a number of beers that are aged on cacao nibs."

--Garret Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery on Beer Sessions Radio

"[Chocolate] plays extremely well [with beer]. It's important to think about the texture...you're looking to compliment in flavor and compliment in texture...the warmth and creaminess of the beer should go with the warmth and creaminess of the chocolate"

"The challenge for me has been to find recipes that break away from 'port and chocolate'...now there are chocolates that have chili powder that compliment an IPA quite well."

--Clay Gordon of The Chocolate Life on Beer Sessions Radio