The Indicator from Planet Money - How niche brands got into your local supermarket

From salsas to barbecue sauces to refrigerated beverages, small artisanal brands are infiltrating grocery shelves everywhere. How did this happen? Today on the show, we team up with Dan Pashman of The Sporkful food podcast to follow the rise of niche soda maker Olipop, and share the hidden incentives that have grocers making shelf space for these products.

Listen to The Sporkful on Apple or Spotify.

Related episodes:
Grocery delivery wars
How grocery shelves get stacked

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The Indicator from Planet Money - A manifesto for feeding 8 billion people

In her new book, Our World In Data's Head of Research Hannah Ritchie investigates how to meet the needs of people without destroying the planet. Today we ask Hannah: Can we feed the world, sustainably?

Related episodes
The Amazon, the Colorado River and a price on nature (Apple Podcasts / Spotify)
The Problem with the US's Farm Worker Program (Apple Podcasts / Spotify)

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60 Songs That Explain the '90s - “Freedom! ’90”—George Michael

Rob looks back at the top five songs that make him still feel like a 6-year-old, before turning his attention to the great George Michael. Along the way, Rob highlights a letter written to Michael from Frank Sinatra with his best dramatic reading. Later, Rob is joined by Rob Tannenbaum to discuss whether George Michael is on the MTV Mount Rushmore, and much more.

Host: Rob Harvilla

Guest: Rob Tannenbaum

Producers: Jonathan Kermah and Justin Sayles

Additional Production Support: Chloe Clark

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Shopping, shipping and wind chill-ing

Was Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves wrong about the increase in the price of the weekly shop? What has the violence at sea done to the cost of shipping? Why did YouGov feel the need to correct an analysis of their polling? Are there 30 million GP appointments every month? And how does wind chill work? Tim Harford investigates the numbers in the news.

Presenter: Tim Harford Reporters: Charlotte McDonald and Nathan Gower Producer: Debbie Richford Series producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Rod Farquhar

The Indicator from Planet Money - Are we counting jobs right? We answer your listener questions

Listener questions are back! On today's show, we answer whether universities are banks, how — or if — 401(k) contributions affect the stock market, and whether jobs report numbers account for people holding down multiple jobs. If you have a question you'd like us to answer, email us at indicator@npr.org.

Related Episodes:
Higher wages, fewer temp workers and indicators of the year results (Apple / Spotify)

Why pizza costs more in Iceland and other Listener Questions (Apple / Spotify)

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The Indicator from Planet Money - The tensions behind the sale of U.S. Steel

In the 1980s, economic tensions between the U.S. and Japan permeated American politics and pop culture. Similar tensions are resurfacing as Japan's Nippon Steel tries to buy U.S. Steel. Today on the show, the history of U.S.-Japan trade friction and why a new round of anxieties is complicating the sale of U.S. Steel.

Related episodes:
How one small change in Japan could sway U.S. markets (Apple / Spotify)
What Japan's lost decade teaches us about recessions

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - Are there more possible games of chess than atoms in the universe?

We investigate how the vast possibilities in a game of chess compare to the vastness of the observable universe.

Dr James Grime helps us understand the Shannon number ? a famous figure on the chess side of the equation - and astronomer Professor Catherine Heymans takes on the entire observable universe.

Presenter: Tim Harford Producers: Debbie Richford and Nathan Gower Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Series Producer: Tom Colls Sound Mix: Andy Fell Editor: Richard Vadon