Frequently Asked Questions
Which organizations are working to reform the American food system and agriculture and how can I help?
There are dozens of organizations working to reform how we produce and consume food in this country and many of them need support. To keep up on food politics, read the blog Civil Eats. The following organizations are all working in this area. To get involved and stay informed you should sign up for their email alerts, RSS feeds and newsletters; make a contribution and/or offer to volunteer. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has an online Advocacy Toolkit with information about how you can get involved in everything from becoming a grant reviewer for the USDA, to writing effective Op Eds, to visiting your members of Congress. You can join a local chapter of Slow Food USA. Food Democracy Now has ongoing campaigns you can join online. Environmental Working Group has an online Action Center where you can easily sign petitions and send emails to politicians. They also offer downloadable Health Tips on everything from baby formula to eating tuna to avoiding pesticides. You should watch Food Inc., a great documentary about the American food system that was nominated for an Academy Award. That’s just a start, there are too many great organizations to list here so do check out my Resources page for more.
Which organizations are working to reform our school lunch program and how can I get involved?
The school-lunch program began at a time when the public-health problem of America’s children was undernourishment, so feeding surplus agricultural commodities to kids seemed like a win-win strategy. Today the problem is over-nutrition, but a school lunch lady trying to prepare healthful fresh food is apt to get dinged by U.S.D.A. inspectors for failing to serve enough calories; if she dishes up a lunch that includes chicken nuggets and Tater Tots, however, the inspector smiles and the reimbursements flow. We are essentially treating our children as a human Disposall for all the unhealthful calories that the farm bill has encouraged American farmers to overproduce. So what can we do as parents, students and teachers to get healthy foods into our schools?
There is a lot of momentum behind the school lunch reform movement right now and it is a great time to get involved. Consider starting with the Center for Ecoliteracy‘s Rethinking School Lunch Guide, which contains tools for improving school lunch programs, showcases success stories and offers a list of resources. The National Farm to School Network provides a long list of non-profit organizations working on school lunch reform and farm-to-school programs all over the country. The Center for Science in the Public Interest also has lots of resources about healthy school food. The Chez Panisse Foundation’s Edible Schoolyard is a good model of how a reformed school lunch program might work. Chef Jamie Oliver has a variety of resources, recipes and petitions up. The documentary Two Angry Moms, about mothers fed up with nasty school lunches, is worth watching. To keep tabs of developments in school lunch reform, check out the “Renegade Lunch Lady” Chef Ann Cooper’s blog.
What university programs can I enroll in to study food issues?
There are a growing number of food studies programs in university programs from Indiana to Italy. Here’s a list of the ones I know of.
NYU’s Steinhardt Department of Food, Nutrition and Public Health, where Marion Nestle is a professor, has both undergraduate and graduate programs.
Indiana University offers a PhD track in Food Studies within the Anthropology Department.
American University’s Nutrition Education program
Stanford University’s Program on Food Security and the Environment
Chatham University’s Master of Arts in Food Studies
The University of Gastronomic Sciences, founded in 2004 by the international non-profit Slow Food, offers graduate degrees in gastronomic studies, food studies and tourism.
Boston University, Metropolitan College’s offers a Masters of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy
The University of New Hampshire has a dual major in EcoGastronomy
UC Davis’s Humanities Institute hosts a multi-campus research program on Studies of Food and the Body, UC Davis also has a food concentration within the American Studies Department
Tufts University offers a Masters in Agriculture, Food and Environment
Useful Links
- Civil Eats food politics blog.
- Food and Water Watch food and water safety watchdog.
- American Farmland Trust national organization dedicated to saving America’s farm and ranch land, promoting healthy farming practices and supporting farms and farmers.
- American Grassfed Association promotes the grassfed beef industry.
- Association for the Study of Food & Society studies food and society and produces a food journal.
- Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity The University of Connecticut’s center on obesity and policy
- Food Inc., a documentary about the American food system that was nominated for an Academy Award.
- The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems UC Santa Cruz sustainable food research.
- Chez Panisse Foundation supports Edible Schoolyard projects.
- The Rodale Institute soil scientists and researchers advocate for organic farming techniques.
- Ecological Farming Association education, alliance building and advocacy for sustainable farms.
- Ecotrust environmentally-focused investments.
- The Edible Schoolyard Alice Waters’ healthy school food program.
- Weston A. Price Foundation publishes the research of Dr. Weston Price, who advocates for whole foods-based diets.
- Wild Farm Alliance promotes agriculture that helps to protect and restore wildlands.
- Land Stewardship Project non-profit dedicated to fostering an ethic of stewardship for farmland, promoting sustainable agriculture and developing sustainable communities.
- National Organic Program at the USDA government-run organics certification.
- Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy works locally and globally to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems.
- The Land Institute working to develop an agricultural system with the ecological stability of the prairie and a grain yield comparable to that from annual crops.
- Food First works to eliminate the injustices that cause hunger.
- The Institute of Food Technologists non-profit scientific society.
- Island Grown Initiative sustainable agriculture on Martha’s Vineyard.
- The Cornucopia Institute organization working toward economic justice for the family-scale farming community.
- National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has an online Advocacy Toolkit with information about how you can get involved in everything from becoming a grant reviewer for the USDA, to writing effective Op-Eds, to visiting your members of Congress.
- Slow Food USA USA arm of Slow Food.
- Environmental Working Group has an online Action Center where you can easily sign petitions and send emails to politicians and download Health Tips on everything from baby formula to eating tuna.
- U.S. Food Policy (Parke Wilde) U.S. food policy and economics from a public interest perspective.
- USDA Briefing Room information on U.S. agriculture .
- USDA Food Availability Data per capita data on U.S. foods and commodities .
- USDA Tables of Food Composition nutrient composition of foods .
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch advocates for sustainable fisheries; produces guides to sustainable fish choices.
- Organic Consumers Association rules, regulations, research, and controversies over organic foods.
- Agricultural Law blog about agricultural law.
- Organic Farming Research Foundation works to move the public and policymakers toward greater investment in organic farming systems.
- Roots of Change (ROC) works to develop and support a collaborative network of leaders and institutions in California with interest in establishing a sustainable food system in our state by the year 2030.
- NYU’s Steinhardt Department of Food, Nutrition and Public Health , where Marion Nestle is a professor, has both undergraduate and graduate programs.
- Indiana University Food Studies program within the Anthropology Department .
- Chatham University’s Master of Arts in Food Studies
- The University of Gastronomic Sciences , founded in 2004 by the international non-profit Slow Food, offers graduate degrees in gastronomic studies, food studies and tourism.
- Boston University, Metropolitan College’s offers a Masters of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy
- The University of New Hampshire’s dual major in EcoGastronomy
- UC Davis food concentration within the American Studies Department.