A lot of exciting things are happening in the food movement that will without no doubt improve the taste and nutrition of, and access to, foods.
At least, for the haves.
I worry about those who have less.
Two days on in a dark theater on Wisconsin Ave. at the #Foodtank Summit exposed me to all the latest in foodie passions, from protein in our diets to fair fish farms.
Organic milk from grass fed cows.
And local berries grown without pesticides.
And eggs from chickens that roam free.
The move towards all of these is accelerating.
I don’t mean to mock it. Not at all. In fact, I am part of it.
But it was impossible to participate in these first world discussions without coming to the sickening sense that while things are getting better faster at the top of the economic pyramid, they are not getting better at the bottom. While all consumers are created equal, not all consumers have the same purchasing power.
Someone at #Foodtank tweeted my comment that “for many the issue isn’t getting organic, it is getting a vegetable.”
And another tweeted in reply.
“Disagree with organic comment. @costco, @walmart sells organic.”
The tweeter may not have been east of the Anacostia River to see that there are no Costcos or Walmarts there, nor in most urban areas where food insecurity is high, and access to transportation is often limited.
@Jason Clay reminded the crowd that NGOs can’t fix all the social problems, but they can influence change.
We are doing that with @Giant and @Shoppers as they join @foodbankmetrodc in working to improve our food supply. Now we need to work with them to demonstrate demand for produce and good food that will support their decision to go into markets that need them most.
Our wild and wooly food ecosystem is changing fast. As a part of that ecosystem, CAFB, we will continue to partner with influencers and to raise our own voices to keep everyone in mind as we work together to improve the food supply for all.