This Thursday, communities throughout the country will talking about Real Food. Thursday is Food Day, a nationwide celebration of healthy, affordable and sustainably produced food. Your first thought might be to disparage another “day” aimed to raise the profile of one issue or another. But before you get too cynical, remember, awareness might not save lives, but it’s a very good place to start.
The food conversation in America has shifted dramatically in the last few years. Arguably, Michael Pollan’s “Omnivore’s Dilemma” exposed people to the reality of the American Food System; since then “good food” has only increased in profile. Mark Bittman runs column about food in the New York Times’ prestigious Sunday Review section; Michael Moss’ “Salt, Sugar, Fat” was the number one spot on the New York Times’ best seller list for weeks; Universities are creating Food Studies programs and University students are pushing to get more real food in their cafeterias and other campus eateries.
We’ve done a great job increasing awareness of these issues, now it’s time to translate the awareness into policy change, and Food Day can play a big role in that.
Under Food Day’s Priorities, such things are listed as “Promote safe, healthier diets,” “reduce hunger” and “support fair working conditions.” These are vague statements, but when you click for more information, they suggest (in addition to hosting a Food Day event) writing or calling your senator, governor, mayor, etc. and explaining to them your concerns. They also provide links to some of the key organizations working on these issues, such as the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
These are some ways that awareness can absolutely translate to change, but why not also list the policy levers necessary to increase consumption of Real Food? Starting a Farmer’s Market is a great idea, if the zoning code allows for it. Increasing food access is great, if there are funds for it. Policy forms the backbone of the creation of sustainable food system. Not everyone is going to be a policy-maker, but we need to do a better job informing advocates about the relationship between policy and Food. And it all starts with the big pesky elephant in the room: the Farm Bill.
A day like Food Day raises awareness and that is hands down a great thing. It would be an exceptional, amazing thing, if we paired it with food policy 101 in order to create more fully informed advocates.
