Food Tank recently had the opportunity to speak with Sam Fromartz, of the Food and Environment Reporting Network, who was one of the speakers at the 2015 Food Tank Summit in partnership with The George Washington University.
Food Tank (FT): What will your message be at the Food Tank Summit?
Sam Fromartz (SF): The importance of public discussion of food issues, so that more voices become involved in the process. The role of media is the key to informing public opinion about these crucial issues that range from food safety and nutrition to food access and environmental health.
FT: How are you contributing to building a better food system?
SF: By informing the discussion with insightful and in-depth stories.
FT: What are the biggest obstacles or challenges you face in achieving your organization’s goals?
SF: Just the day-to-day challenges of running an organization with limited resources. That said, we are a lean organization that knows how to get outsized impact with our coverage of food issues.
FT: Who is your food hero and why?
SF: One of my heroes is Jim Crawford, a small farmer from Pennsylvania who started a co-op in the 1990s and built a local food system in the Mid-Atlantic region.
FT: In 140 characters or fewer, what is the most important thing we can all do to help change the food system?
SF: To change the food system, we need to become knowledgeable, engaged and networked — with good food on hand to fuel our work.
