Chef and food systems advocate José Andrés recently announced a partnership with George Washington University (GW) to build the Global Food Institute. The Institute will serve as a hub to develop evidence, partnerships, and innovative solutions intended to transform the way the world thinks about food systems.
“The Global Food Institute will reshape how we think about food, break down barriers across industries, politics, and nations, and inspire and empower the next generation to develop systemic solutions that reshape the food system,” says Andrés in a statement.
Three pillars — policy, innovation, and humanity — will guide the Global Food Institute’s interdisciplinary research and teaching. Faculty and students, along with industry leaders, policymakers, and other food systems experts, will work to develop research to inform domestic and global food policies, create new technologies, and lead conversations about the relationship between food systems and society.
The Institute promises to prioritize the education and training of future leaders from diverse backgrounds to identify new paths forward. “Their collective work will inform evidence-based policy that centers food as a solution for some of our most pressing problems,” says Pam Norris, Vice Provost for Research at GW.
Andrés believes that the food system is “experiencing a crisis, brought on by systemic inequities, rampant hunger and poverty, the climate crisis, and deteriorating public health and nutrition.” For more than a decade, the chef has led World Central Kitchen, which he founded in 2010, to provide relief to communities affected by political conflict and natural disasters.
But according to the press release, Andrés also sees food as an essential part of the solution. And he is confident that young people will drive this change. “It’s time to look to the next generation of leaders who will fix our world’s broken food systems,” he says. “We must invest in them and inspire them to shape the future of food policy and innovation.”
In the coming months, the Global Food Institute plans to fill key leadership roles, identify a physical space, and develop opportunities with the community and potential partners.
“In the George Washington University’s third century, we are focused on accelerating the positive impact of our interdisciplinary scholarship on society, including through innovative partnerships with visionary leaders,” says GW President Mark S. Wrighton. “We are thrilled to establish in partnership with José Andrés the Global Food Institute—a center that will create new knowledge and shape national and international progress on food system issues.”
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