Western Washington University Human Services and Global Systems

Brittney Sims

Food Justice

Definition:

“Food Justice is communities exercising their right to grow, sell, and eat healthy food. Healthy food is fresh, nutritious, affordable, culturally-appropriate, and grown locally with care for the well-being of the land, workers, and animals”.

What is Food Justice?

We as a human culture and our relationship with food has changed over the course of many decades—There are various global aspects where food and justice cross paths within our global society:

Lack of food in certain parts of the worldLack of healthy food optionsPoverty…

Global Aspects of Food Justice

Global issues that may restrict us as a human culture/society from having the right to healthy food options and to be well nourished:• Lack of health/education• Lack of evenly distributed

food options in “urban” neighborhoods

• Accessibility of food• Misconception of farming

itself

Global Issues

• The youth• Our future• Families• Communities• Individuals health• The economy

The chart on the right depicts the variable aspects that allow food justice to function across the world.

Who Suffers from these issues…

The absence of food justice within a single community can hinder families of that community to live unhealthy lifestyles, where those families children run the risk of being obese due to lack of healthy food options.

A religion can also be affected where food justice shortages. For example: Where the way that food is distributed demeans how God intended for it to be. Causing Christians to opt to be vegetarian or cautious of what they consume.

The lack of food, may encourage city officials to build food alternatives like fast food restaurants within communities, where doing so may provide jobs to people in those communities, but the option of food being provided to the public isn’t fresh food option. This doesn’t increase employment, but it increases the level un-health in a community.

How else can Food Justice affect a culture/Society?

Example1: Individuals who lack healthy options become aware that Edible landscapes can created in urban environments in front/back yards.

Example 2: The use of empty lots within various country, cities, neighborhood, whether it be a school, faith community, or hospital near that empty—those within the community can utilize it to “grow” their community.

Misconception: A farm doesn’t have to be a place 100’s of miles away from an individuals home, and can be within their community, and members can contribute, fellowship together to make that possible.

The use of green space within communities can be used to grow community gardens, and fresh foods.

Education of health/Food Anyone: i.e. youth, immigrants,

elderly etc. who may have a connection to agriculture can bring that knowledge and concept to urban communities/cities who only shop at convenient stores to get their food.

How can we empower food justice?

“This book depicts examples of how the relationship of race and food relates. It goes into detail about how issues of race and class may effect an effort to create environmental, and socially sustainable agriculture systems”.

“The author specifies how 2 farmers: one in North Berkeley ran by whites and one in West Oakland, CA ran by blacks, and how they each approach the idea of a green economy differently. “

This text exemplifies a real life example of the use of farming and how it can be used as a healthy alternative to cultivate change within varied communities.

Example of a changed food system

Most important is that food justice can start right in the home, it’s a matter of each individual household taking control of their diet, choice of food, how to prepare the food.• Gathering community

together, educate that community about healthy food options

• Grow that community literally, and figuratively

• Spread that movement in surrounding areas to influence others of healthy food concepts/options.

What actions can be taken today for change to occur?

Hartman, L. Seeking Food Justice. A Journal of Bible and Theology, 67, 304-311.

Kilmer, Colyn, "Where's the Justice? A Review of the Local Food Movement through a Reflexive Lens" (2012). All Graduate Plan B and other Reports. Paper 172. http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/gradreports/172

Neighborhood Disparities in Access to Healthy Foods and Their Effects on Environmental Justice.American Journal of Public Health, 102, 1644-1654. http://ajph.aphapublications.org/

What is GROW. (n.d.). Oxfam International. http://www.oxfam.org/en/grow/what-is-grow

Alkon, A. H. (2012). Black, white, and green: farmers markets, race, and the green economy. Athens: University of Georgia Press.

Alkon, A. H. Food Justice, Food Sovereignty and the Challenge of Neoliberalism. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 1-20. http://www.yale.edu/agrarianstudies/foodsovereignty/pprs/38_Alkon_2013.pdf

FOOD JUSTICE. (n.d.). Just Food. http://www.justfood.org/food-justice

Hartman, L. Seeking Food Justice. A Journal of Bible and Theology, 67, 304-311.

Suggestive sources to review