Nina Elkadi

Super excited to be joining Sentient as an investigative reporter! DMs open for tips.

So…this sucks! Coincidentally, we’re writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages…we’re ramping them up! And one thing we won’t do? Publish anything that opposes our guiding editorial belief that all D.C. residents deserve a more equitable and just city.

In Ottumwa, Iowa, Mayor Rick Johnson announced that JBS — the largest meat processor in the world — was issuing 200 notices to employees from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela that their work visas had been revoked. @ElkadiNina reports: buff.ly/33jiq4b

A former Seaboard Triumph Foods employee spoke with me about the horrifying conditions inside of the Sioux City, Iowa, pork processing facility. The effects — including almost 2,000 hours of air quality violations — extend throughout the town. sentientmedia.org/iowa-pork-plan…

great reporting by @ElkadiNina @Sentient_Media into how two leading pork producers touted their use of anaerobic digesters to capture methane. But an excess of gas led to the flaring of methane & the release of dangerous sulfur dioxide sentientmedia.org/iowa-pork-plan…

After Steven Barrows left his job at a hog slaughtering facility in Sioux City, Iowa, he sent a tip to the EPA. In the tip, Barrows described the parking lot of Seaboard Triumph Foods LLC as a “dump site for rotten meats.” @ElkadiNina reports: buff.ly/Ta66gSR

Brewer Creek, Webster City, just now.

The meat industry has a child labor problem. The Department of Labor’s various investigations have uncovered illegal child employment in the supply chain of large meat companies, leading to millions of dollars in fines.

Attending #IRE2025? Don't miss Sentient's @ElkadiNina in conversation with @audrey_my_brown, @JenHijaz and @m_joel17, exploring how to harness records, legal documents and data to tell off-the-beaten-path climate stories.

A lawsuit against @Livingston_Ent and Worldwide Farmers Exchange alleges that three Guatemalan citizens, who came to the U.S. on J-1 visas, worked dangerous jobs on factory farms under false pretenses. @ElkadiNina reports: buff.ly/c1CyG3h

While behaviors like smoking and binge drinking are linked to higher cancer risk, a new initiative from @HarkinAtDrake and @Iowa_Env wants to see the link between agriculture and cancer investigated with the same rigor. @ElkadiNina reports: buff.ly/lItUHib

BREAKING: An Iowa dairy manure spill kills over 100,000 fish in a 10-mile stretch of Dry Run Creek. State records reveal a faulty manure control structure noted in previous inspections. @ElkadiNina reports: buff.ly/lojsC3o

I spoke with former and current EPA staff about new restrictions facing the agency's civil rights division. The staff are allowed to conduct investigations, but they're not allowed to *issue findings of discrimination* or *accept new complaints.* sentientmedia.org/epa-civil-righ…

A reminder that I'm continuing to update this list of USDA programs my reporting has found have been frozen, unfrozen, and/or cancelled over the last few months. Contact me to add/edit: lisa [at] civileats.com/Signal: lisaelaineh.47 civileats.com/food-policy-tr…

Critics of checkoffs — the marketing tool of agricultural commodities like pork and beef — are asking the Trump administration to make cuts. @ElkadiNina reports: buff.ly/EUM8PPx

In Postville, Iowa, Agri Star Meat and Poultry LLC is the largest employer, and now, three non-profit organizations have filed an intent to sue the slaughterhouse, for illegally discharging animal waste products into public waterways. @ElkadiNina reports: buff.ly/4gILmHS

The Meat Institute is calling for the Trump administration to pull back regulations like the Clean Water Act and salmonella inspections. Sentient's @ElkadiNina is on @IowaPublicRadio to discuss what this could mean for workers, the environment and food safety. Listen now:…

With human infections of avian flu present in the U.S., workers remain most vulnerable to the virus. Now, as Donald Trump begins his second term as president, unexpected changes to federal agencies could upend tracking efforts. @ElkadiNina reports: buff.ly/3WN6iGo

A program in the majority of states across the country allows hunters to kill overpopulating deer and donate them to food banks. However, in most states, that meat is not tested for lead fragments, putting consumers at risk. @ElkadiNina investigates: buff.ly/3WMwst3

I FOIA'd the Iowa DNR to try to find out why food banks still distribute potentially lead-laced venison. My first investigation for @Sentient_Media: sentientmedia.org/venison-food-b…

New Trump executive order just released: "[union contracts] executed in the 30 days prior to the inauguration of a new President, and that purport to remain in effect despite the inauguration of a new President and administration, shall not be approved."