The Department of Agriculture released a new set of dietary guidelines championing protein and healthy fats while minimizing grains. The new recommendations essentially turn the old food pyramid upside down, encouraging Americans to eat whole foods like fruits and vegetables, to incorporate healthy fats, to prioritize protein-rich meals including red meat and to consume full-fat dairy and whole grains with no added sugars. So what does it mean? Will it affect consumer behavior at all? Will grocery stores or restaurants change their product offerings or formulations? Will state legislators jump into the fray and consider mandates on school lunches or kids meals or products in stores? I’m going to interview our resident expert on all things food, Maggie Gentile, a partner at Food Directions and a consultant to numerous companies and industries to help us sort out what all this means to the way we eat, where we eat or if it means anything at all.

The American Modcast with Joe Kefauver is sponsored by Americans for a Modern Economy. We ensure policies reflect the 21st-century technologies reshaping our businesses and communities. Our episodes focus on the emerging issues of tomorrow rather than just today’s news.

We explore the changing workforce, technological impacts, and evolving commerce trends. These shifts will inevitably alter both consumer behavior and voter attitudes. Expect meaty topics, expert guests, and a touch of cynical humor along the way.

This week's guest is Brennan Duckett, Director of Technology & Innovation Policy at National Restaurant Association. We looks at how we used to talk about data privacy - especially with regard to how merchants collect and handle consumer data, and how that conversation has very quickly morphed into online privacy, protecting kids from harmful elements of the internet, and the impact on how all of this is changing how consumer-facing brands now are able market and communicate to their customers.

The American Modcast with Joe Kefauver is sponsored by Americans for a Modern Economy. We ensure policies reflect the 21st-century technologies reshaping our businesses and communities. Our episodes focus on the emerging issues of tomorrow rather than just today’s news.

We explore the changing workforce, technological impacts, and evolving commerce trends. These shifts will inevitably alter both consumer behavior and voter attitudes. Expect meaty topics, expert guests, and a touch of cynical humor along the way.

Joe Kefauver sits down with Dan Swanson—attorney, consultant, and former general counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee—to unpack the complex world of credit card swipe fees and why they’ve become one of the biggest financial pressures facing Main Street businesses. Swanson explains how Visa and Mastercard’s market dominance, interchange structures, and recent court battles are shaping the national debate over competition, transparency, and consumer costs. Together, they explore what meaningful reform could look like at both the federal and state levels—and what it will mean for merchants, consumers, and policymakers in the years ahead.

The American Modcast with Joe Kefauver is sponsored by Americans for a Modern Economy. We ensure policies reflect the 21st-century technologies reshaping our businesses and communities. Our episodes focus on the emerging issues of tomorrow rather than just today’s news.

We explore the changing workforce, technological impacts, and evolving commerce trends. These shifts will inevitably alter both consumer behavior and voter attitudes. Expect meaty topics, expert guests, and a touch of cynical humor along the way.