Food Security, Food Access, Food Justice

What Can I Do?

Submitted and Published in the Michigan Citizen, February 6, 2011

According to the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, the definition of food security is: When all of the members of a community have easy access to adequate amounts of affordable, nutritious, culturally appropriate food.

Those few words describe a complex issue. Far too many people in Detroit do not have food security. Many cannot physically get to fresh food because of health and/or lack of transportation. Others cannot afford the cost of healthy food. Still others are understandably confused as to what “healthy” food means. It seems like an overwhelming topic that as an individual, any effort you make, will have little or no significant impact on your fellow Detroiters’ ability to access food. Or, maybe you think that this problem doesn’t affect you if you don’t live within the city of Detroit.

However, this issue goes beyond accessibility to the very heart of how food is produced, distributed, sold and eaten. Our industrial food system negatively impacts every individual in every community in the U.S. It is not working for any of us and the biggest negative impact is on those with the fewest resources. Many advocates describe it as a broken system: unhealthy, unsustainable, and unjust.

The good news: Food has become a hot topic from local grassroots activism to national political debate. From a vegetable garden at the White House and the First Lady’s initiative to address childhood obesity to urban agriculture and the rise in popularity of local and organic produce. There is a growing awareness and interest in changing the food system, from farm to table to landfill, that affects our health, our economy, our communities, and our environment.
Detroit has the opportunity to create a community where all of its citizens have access to fresh, sustainably grown food but we must work at all levels to accomplish our goal. There are successful efforts underway in Detroit right now. From expanding the regional food hub at Eastern Market to the Garden Resource Program that teaches residents how to grow food to the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation’s initiative to help local grocers improve their stores and fresh food offerings and the Detroit Public Schools’ success ensuring that as many children as possible participate in the school breakfast and lunch program, there are many people focused on improving our local food system.
You may be asking: “what can I do?” There are many ways to get involved in local, state and federal initiatives on food security. Among them are:

Participate in the First Annual Powering Up the Food System Summit organized by the Detroit Food Policy Council on May 19 and 20 at Eastern Market. The Summit will feature opportunities to learn and become involved in community-led efforts to increase food access and build a stronger local food system that benefits all Detroiters. Attend one of the pre-summit forums. Following the Summit, join one of the task forces that will develop solutions that build on current efforts and speed up progress toward a healthy, sustainable, just food system.
Learn more about the city's efforts to develop an urban agriculture policy and share your thoughts with leaders about how other proposals that are being developed—such as, for example, under the Detroit Works strategy—might affect food security (positively or negatively).

If you have school age children, encourage your child’s school to develop a Healthy Food Policy. School policies that promote healthy breakfast and lunch programs also create an opportunity for small businesses.

Contact your representatives in the State legislature, which is considering an end to the Earned Income Tax Credit. If passed, this will have impact on impoverished households' income and further challenge their efforts to meet basic needs, likely increasing their reliance on area food assistance programs.

Improve your own household’s food habits. Visit one of the many Farmer’s Markets that operate from June through October or come to Eastern Market all year round. And, invite a neighbor who may not have transportation to shop with you. Support your church or community soup kitchen or food pantry. Shop your local grocery store. Talk to the manager about offering Michigan fruits, vegetables and other products. Buying locally produced products helps keep money right here in our own community.

Cheryl A Simon is the Coordinator of the Detroit Food Policy Council. She can be reached at (313) 833-0396 or detroitfoodpolicycouncil@gmail.com

Grandpa Ed was right...

My maternal grandmother's name was Dessie Mae Tucker. My grandfather's name was Ed Hall. She was tall and raw boned and plain spoken- some would say ornery. He was tall and thin, quiet and patient. They lived in Paris, Tennessee so we only saw them for about 10 days in the summer when we were kids. I always think of my grandparents this time of year when my garden really gets going and I start thinking about the process of canning, drying and freezing produce for the winter.

Every summer, my family would drive down in the family's station wagon to spend a couple of weeks with my grandparents. My sister and I would always sleep in the back bedroom when we would visit them. The double bed was against the wall so when the sun rose, the light would come in the window behind us. The opposite wall was lined with canned goods from their farm-- tomatoes, green beans, pickles, beets, carrots, pickled watermelon rind, corn, okra. It had a certain smell that I now recognize whenever I can my own garden surplus.

Their farm was considerably smaller by the time we were born but still way bigger than anything we ever saw in Detroit. At one time, my grandpa raised animals as well as vegetables and fruit. What are now called "heirloom" tomatoes were the same ordinary, sliced tomatoes that my grandmother served at every supper, still warm from the garden. We always loved going out to the garden after the evening meal where Grandpa showed us how to pick a ripe watermelon. (It falls off the vine when you tap it.) There was nothing like it!

It's amazing what has happened to our country's food system in the last 50 years. I remember hearing Grandpa Ed talk about the dangers of pesticides and herbicides, factory farming and genetic engineering (I seem to remember his saying something like "I reckon them scientists think they can tinker with nature") back in the 1980's. At the time, I didn't really understand the scope of the issues or the impending disaster but I certainly got the message that Grandpa thought it was a bad idea. I am sure that he would not be happy to see how our environment, our economy and yes, our national security, is being destroyed.

So, what can we do about it? First, we have to recognize that the current food system is broken. And, many of us do. There are more and more informed consumers making the choice to buy locally produced food that is raised in an environmentally responsible way. From this position of engaged consumer, we need to become enraged activists. This is a little tougher but we don't have to sell our stuff and move to a commune (now called intentional communities, more on that at some other time) or handcuff ourselves to the gates of Monsanto Corporation. But, we can do more than Know your food, Know your Farmer as the slogan goes ... in other words, go beyond shopping at the Farmer's Market and growing our own food.

A couple of organizations that I support are:

Organic Consumer's Association. The link to their website is http://www.organicconsumers.org/. They work to keep organic standards from being watered down and will help you keep up-to-date on federal and state legislation affecting our food system. They send email action alerts when legislation is being considered with clear ways to make our voices heard.

The Farm to Consumers Legal Defense Fund. They actively support family farms and work on policy issues related to our right to purchase raw milk and other nutrient dense foods directly from farmers. In the State of Michigan and in many other states around the country, it is illegal for farmers to sell unpasteurized milk. My family has owned a share in a dairy cow for more than a year now as a way to get access to real milk. The milk is wonderful and it is our way of being both an engaged consumer and an enraged activist. The corporate food companies feel so threatened by these farmers that they have launched aggressive campaigns to defeat any legislation that would loosen the current restrictions. Their website is http://www.ftcldf.org/

So, from my little corner of the world, we will keep gardening, shopping at the Farmer's Market, canning, freezing and drying our own food. I will also write letters and emails to our elected officials, spread the word to friends and family, donate money to organizations like OCA and Farm to Consumers Legal Defense Fund and pray that the changes will be made.