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Over the past year, Food Tank has traveled all around the United States, from Georgia to North Carolina to Illinois to Massachusetts to Texas to Utah, to discuss the urgency of prioritizing the health and well-being of future generations in our food policy. We’re heading to Capitol Hill next week—and I hope you’ll join us.
At each event, we are convening amazing conversations with local food luminaries, farmers, chefs, researchers, advocates, business leaders, and more. Many of these have also been held in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
Until 2022, it had been more than 50 years since a presidential administration, of any party, convened an official White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health!
I’m grateful that we have political leaders—in the White House, in Congress, in local state capitols, and in city halls—who understand that focusing on food is such a powerful and effective way to solve some of our most pressing challenges.
But it’s not enough just to talk about the future of the food system. We have to put in the work to build it! We have to turn those conversations into actual change!
I want to share a quote that really moved me: Last week, Food Tankers were invited to a special virtual conversation with food superhero U.S. Congressmember Jim McGovern.
“The stuff that we can celebrate today…happened because like-minded people got together and demanded that it happen! [They] wouldn’t take no for an answer,” he said.
Next week, Food Tank is heading to Washington D.C. for a luncheon event with policymakers, food system leaders, researchers, and more to drive home the importance of food system action. Like all of us, our Senators and Representatives have to do more than nod their heads—we all have to roll up our sleeves and get to work, bringing a better food system to life.
The event is 12–1:30PM ET next Thursday, July 25, in the Rayburn building. If you’re in D.C., please join us by registering HERE.
The program is presented by Food Tank, The Germeshausen Foundation, and Oatly. Our lineup of confirmed speakers includes: U.S. Representatives Barbara Lee, Jim McGovern, Ayanna Pressley, Chellie Pingree, and Greg Murphy; Sophia Adelle, Farmlink; Alexandra Ashbrook, Food Research and Action Center; Jean Buzby, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Alberto Gonzalez Jr., USDA; Caron Gremont, FreshFarm; Regina Harmon, Food Recovery Network; Steven Jennings, Ahold Delhaize USA; Mandy Katz, Giant Food; Admiral Rachel Levine, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Catherine Oakar, White House; Amanda Oenbring, Upcycled Food Association; and Dr. Ruth Petersen, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And we’re adding more amazing speakers by the day!
And wherever you are, please reach out to your elected officials and encourage them to participate in discussions like these. We have to make our voices heard and make sure they know that, when it comes to food and agriculture systems, we won’t take no for an answer.
I’ll be honest—we’re making important progress in some policy areas, while other aspects of the food system remain tricky to transform.
Several years ago, several members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Rep. McGovern, launched the bipartisan Food is Medicine Working Group within the House Hunger Caucus. And earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services held its first-ever Food is Medicine Summit. These are optimistic steps, from my view.
And last month, the White House and several federal agencies released a national strategy aimed at reducing food loss and waste. This is promising, too, but we have to be careful: A recent decision by the conservative-led U.S. Supreme Court gutted the ability of federal agencies to set rules like the ones in the national strategy, according to the National Resources Defense Council, and several key agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are frequent targets of policymakers’ cuts.
Food access and affordability also remain concerning, especially when it comes to hunger levels in America. In 2022, 12.8 percent of households were food insecure—and food-at-home prices rose even higher in 2023 compared to 2022.
Let’s remember that, as Rep. McGovern says, “Hunger is a political condition. We have the food, we know what to do—but we need the political will.”
To actually solve our food and agriculture challenges, Rep. McGovern told us, “we have to start getting people to think differently.”
Join us on Capitol Hill next week to hear from legislators—including him and other food champions—directly! One more time, here is the link to register yourself or send to your elected officials in D.C.
As you look at the state of food policy right now, what’s on your mind? What do you want Food Tank to ask or tell our policymakers? Email me at danielle@foodtank.com, and let’s discuss what it might take to build the political will to truly transform the food system.
And I hope you’ll tune into this week’s episode of the Food Talk podcast to hear more of our inspiring conversation with Rep. McGovern. I think of the episode like a sneak peek into the discussions we’ll be having together in Washington D.C.
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Photo courtesy of Saul Rodriguez, Unsplash
