Ali Assaf

Global food prices have reached their highest level in more than three years, driven partly by rising oil and energy costs. Josh Toussaint-Strauss examines how oil and gas are embedded throughout food production, beyond transport and fertiliser, focusing on meat, processed staples, and fruit and vegetables.

The UK’s domestic food production has fallen from more than 80% of consumption to 57%, leaving the country vulnerable to shortages. Josh Toussaint-Strauss examines the causes of this decline, why the government considers food security a national security risk, and how the UK compares with other countries.

British-grown apples can cost more than apples shipped thousands of miles, while imported bananas are often the cheapest fruit in UK supermarkets. Josh Toussaint-Strauss examines the pricing, supply-chain and economic factors behind this apparent contradiction in the food system.

Rapid weight loss from GLP-1 drugs such as Mounjaro and from yo-yo dieting may involve more than reduced body weight, including loss of lean muscle and a higher proportion of body fat. The report examines potential long-term consequences, particularly in older age, and argues that concerns about body composition extend beyond weight-loss medication to decades of dieting culture.

A study by Aviva found that one in nine new homes in England is being built on land at risk of flooding, often within existing planning rules. Josh Toussaint-Strauss investigates how the planning system enables development in vulnerable areas, allowing developers to profit while homeowners may face the financial and practical costs of flooding.

Private equity has expanded across everyday sectors such as restaurants, retail, veterinary services and care homes. The video argues that businesses increasingly operate as investments seeking rapid returns rather than as long-term enterprises, contributing to smaller portions, higher prices and declining service quality beyond the effects of inflation alone.

More than eight years after the Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 people, the companies, construction materials and regulatory failures identified as contributing to the disaster continue to influence housing construction in the UK and elsewhere. The video examines deregulation, industry lobbying and corporate greed, and highlights that some companies criticised by the public inquiry still receive million-pound public contracts, raising continuing concerns about building safety and accountability.

The video examines the risks posed by illegal houses in multiple occupation, noting that at least one in four HMOs in England may be operating illegally and leaving vulnerable residents in cramped and squalid conditions. It connects poor housing to public-health problems, estimates that the NHS spends £1.4 billion annually treating related conditions, and highlights the role of a national shortage of affordable housing. Grassroots groups Canopy and Back on the Map are shown working to improve local conditions and build community solidarity, while Guardian readers are encouraged to support the featured charities.

The video investigates the booming skin-lightening industry and the rise in cancer and irreversible skin damage among women of colour using unregulated products. It traces the practice to a longer history in which beauty marketing has used classist and colonial ideas about skin colour to sell products, despite the dangers having been documented for years.

Indigenous children in the United States continue to be removed from their families at disproportionate rates despite the 1978 law intended to protect Native American families. In South Dakota, Indigenous children represent 13% of the child population but 74% of children in foster care. The investigation examines how policies rooted in historical efforts to erase Indigenous identity continue to separate families and fail Native communities.

Josh Toussaint-Strauss speaks with Tax Justice Network representative Mark Bou Mansour about why wealth taxes targeting the richest households are difficult to introduce. The video examines claims that such taxes are impractical, ineffective or would drive wealthy people abroad, considers the potential revenue from a levy on the top 0.5% globally, and looks at examples including Spain and the possibility of implementing a wealth tax in the UK.