Angela Clifford’s Post

For many people, food system transformation is still an abstract concept. It’s paramount to ensure a shared and concrete understanding of what a food systems approach means and its vital value for people and the planet. #FoodSystems #DonorCoordination https://bit.ly/4a6L8HL

🛒 Our food system is broken. It is working for a small but powerful minority, including the big retailers - corporations which spend millions on advertising and marketing to shape our choices and behaviour. 🥓 And we know from The Guardian investigation this week that supermarkets continue to incentivise people to choose processed meat, products which are harming our health and environment: https://lnkd.in/eTqqGxg5 🙋♀️ The food system is not working for citizens, however - who are aware of the powerful influence of supermarkets and their marketing, and want things to change. 🍅 What's more, it turns out that people are not concerned about 'nanny state' interference. Far from it - what people really want is for government action to enable fair access to quality, healthy food. 🥗 These are some of the findings of the ambitious National Food Conversation project (from the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission) which has been talking to people around Britain over the past 18 months about food - covered here by Wicked Leeks https://lnkd.in/egxiXqxh 🥕 We need to rebalance power away from big corporations and towards healthier, local, sustainable food. That means ending advertising for unhealthy food, full stop, as Adfree Cities is calling for. And it means challenging the misleading and irresponsible marketing messages we see from the food industry every day.

Food is many things in our lives. It’s a cultural connector, it's medicine, and it's a renewable resource. Above all, food is a human right. Yet our food system only values food for one thing: profit. The result? One in three Colorado residents lacked reliable access to nutritious food in 2021. In the U.S., people don’t go hungry because of a lack of food (in fact, we waste 40% of food produced for consumption globally). People go hungry because food is unaffordable for them. It’s high time we recognize the flaws in this system and take action to build a more equitable and sustainable approach, one that embraces widespread access to healthy foods: Universal Basic Food. Our Manager of Strategic Initiatives, Emily Settlecowski, wrote to Next City on why moving toward a system that guarantees access to nutrient-dense food would nourish health, justice and community.

Healthy Food Seen as Luxury. A recent survey commissioned by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission reveals some stark findings. - Four in five respondents (80%) believe healthy food is something that everyone should be able to have, yet only 8% think it is affordable to most people. - Almost half (49%) stated that financial pressures have made them cut back on the quality of food they eat. The research thus reflects a worsening food environment in the United Kingdom, where a over an estimated 11million people nationwide experience food insecurity. This is most acute in low-income areas, with an estimated 1.2 million living in ‘food deserts’ where affordable, fresh food is severely limited. - The British public sees healthy food as a fundamental duty of the Government – 68% say it is the Government’s job to make sure healthy food is affordable amidst increasing financial pressures and a worsening food environment. The FFCC is now launching a UK-wide food conversation, bringing together citizens across all four countries to join in-depth workshops and deliberation designed to determine solutions. Partnerships with a wide range of organisations will further extend the reach and scale of the project. For further information, visit https://lnkd.in/dV3vK3dx #farm #farming #farmshop #foodanddrink #healthyfood #food #countryside #buylocal #shoplocal

The Food Commons Transition. Collective actions to produce, distribute and consume food differently We could design different food systems, whose main goal would be to feed people adequately, enabling food producers and food workers to earn a living. My proposal: to modify the normative valuation of food, from commodity to commons. Food as apubloc good, as we did in Europe for health and education at the beginning of XX century. https://lnkd.in/ekUSdfzZ

Let’s have an open conversation about the importance of quality food in our daily lives. Often, we take for granted the food we consume, focusing on momentary pleasures while ignoring the fundamental nourishment that sustains us. Consider this: the escalating costs of fuel seldom raise our concern, yet a minor uptick in food prices sends us into a state of distress. Isn’t it time we valued our nutrition—the very fuel for our existence—above temporary luxuries? It’s essential to change our perspective and recognize food as more than mere sustenance; it’s the clean energy that drives our well-being. Envision the health and vitality that comes from feeding ourselves with food that’s not just filling, but truly nourishing. Here’s the reality: producing high-quality food is an expensive endeavor. Farmers invest immense effort and dedication to grow food that’s not only healthy but also aligns with sustainable and eco-friendly practices. Despite this, they often struggle to make ends meet. We should be prepared to pay more for food that’s ethically produced, ensuring end-to-end traceability and environmentally conscious. In doing so, we support the hardworking farmers and secure a future where nutritious food is available for all. It’s time to move beyond the pursuit of the lowest prices and start valuing the true worth of quality food. We must prioritize our health, our communities, and our environment by choosing foods that are as tasty as they are responsibly cultivated. Let’s unite in fostering a world where farmers are esteemed and compensated fairly for their essential work and where not a single farmer commits suicide due to market adversities!! Food is medicine and farmers are natural chemists!! #FarmToTable #SustainableFarming #AgriBusiness #FamilyFarm #HealthyFood #FoodieRevolution #EatLocal #CleanEating #FoodJustice #cleanfood Satyajit Hange Ajinkya Hange Kishore Indukuri

"The industrial food system as it stands perpetuates harm to our health, local economies and the environment while upholding chronic hunger in the United States. To break free from this harmful cycle, we must recognize food as a basic human right, embrace the cultural significance it holds, and prioritize sustainability and equity over corporate profits. Universal Basic Food is not just a utopian idea. It’s a tangible solution that empowers communities to transform their food systems, paving the way for a healthier, more just future." By Emily Settlecowski Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ed3uM2sR

Food System Horizons is working on the true cost of food in Australia, following recent international reports on this topic. Cecile GODDE and Fentahun Abebe have summarised the issues in our latest policy insights brief. https://lnkd.in/gjsNteX7

🌍 New Report from IPES Food Highlights the Urgency of Localising Food Systems 🍎 A new IPES Food report exposes the growing fragility of corporate-controlled global food systems, worsened by crises like Russian’s war in Ukraine, COVID-19, and climate change. Disruptions in grain shipments, fertiliser shortages, and volatile food prices have become the new normal. But there’s a solution: vibrant, localised food systems built around small-scale producers and territorial markets. These systems are proving to be more resilient, equitable, and sustainable than their global counterparts. Key findings show: 🌾 Territorial Markets feed most of the world's population, despite limited support. 💡 Lack of Resilience as these close-to-home supply chains adapt well to crises. 🌱 Increase in Sustainability as localised food production enhances climate resilience. 💰 Driver for Economic Stability as local markets provide steady incomes, especially for women and youth. The report calls for urgent investment in local markets to reduce dependence on fragile global supply chains, aligning with #FoodCLIC’s mission for more inclusive, sustainable food systems. Let’s support these vital changes and make food sovereignty a reality for all! 💚 Read more about the report here: https://lnkd.in/efnYdFqN

Our lives depend on healthy food. I believe it's imperative to watch the new documentary from #MichaelPollan #FoodInc2 to learn about our food supply system one bite at a time by watching this informative and thought provoking film. You and your family can move forward by making choices to work toward a healthier future which is certainly my goal. Food, Inc. 2 is an update to 2008's Food, Inc. which was a groundbreaking Oscar®-nominated expose on the multinational corporations that control our food supply. There has been more consolidation in the food industry since 2008 and Food, Inc. 2 explores how our values should impact our food choices. This }#documentary emphasizes the anti-trust and #monopoly issues encountered in our agricultural system. It highlights the profits of capitalism versus the sustainability of nature and how this directly affects the quality and nutrition of our #food. In addition, the movie makes the point that the #agricultural labor force is essential, but is often treated as disposable. Corporate profits have risen at the expense of both consumers and rural America's #farming communities. There are definitely concerns for future soil and water quality which impact our food's nutritional value as well as the effect they have on individuals and our communities. I value the information shared by Senators #CoryBooker and #JonTester as they work to improve access to healthy food and to support our farmers. The documentary is also interesting when it chronicles the food additives which affect our taste and metabolism. I really enjoyed learning about the innovative farmers working to improve our food supply from the ground up or, in the case of a kelp farmer, by charting a new course in food supply. Food, Inc. was released the year I was born and this new documentary, Food, Inc. 2 will hopefully provide further food for thought for a new generation. In limited theaters April 9; on digital April 12 https://lnkd.in/e-Wai8C4