overview
A food system is a
network of the people,
activities, materials,
processes, and
environments (physical,
political, social, cultural)
that interact to shape
how food is produced
and consumed within a
given area.
Rasheed Hislop (2014)
defines food justice as
“the struggle against
racism, exploitation,
and oppression taking
place within the food
system that addresses
inequality’s roots both
within and beyond the
food chain.
“Food is not just fuel. Food
is about family, food is about
community, food is about identity.
And we nourish all of those things
when we eat well.”
-Michael Pollan, author and journalist 1
The food we eat is personal and global at the same time. Food is
integral to our health and our culture, whatever culture that may
be. The process of getting food to our plates is complex and it
impacts many people’s lives—from the farmworkers who harvest
it, to the people who manufacture, drive, prepare, and serve
it. It impacts the environment since some farming practices use
pesticides and contribute to climate change. And it impacts the
lives of farm animals.
But what makes food good? It is more than just taste. Good food
makes you feel nourished after you eat it. Its production isn’t
harmful to the environment, to animals, or to the people who
grow, package, process, deliver, and prepare it. Good food is
generative: it creates opportunities for your local community.
From field to fork to landfill–all of the activities, people, and
resources involved in making food and getting it to us are a part
of the food system. At each point in the food system, there is
an opportunity to extract or to create value. The industrial food
system has been set up to extract value without adding enough
back in. Animals are mistreated, workers are paid poorly, and
land is degraded, while money and resources flow away from
local communities.
What kind of world do you
want to create?
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