Welcome to food fight

Food.  Most of us eat it every day, multiple times a day.  It is an important part of our lives, and, like air and water, it is necessary for survival.  What we end up putting in our mouths through the intimate act of eating depends on a complex set of factors.  The food system, that starts with producers (farmers and ranchers, for example) then travels through harvest, distribution, processing, more distribution, maybe more processing, packaging, and distribution, dictates what food is available and to whom.  Factors such as advertising, heritage, income, time, knowledge, transportation, habits and preferences further influence what does or does not end up in the shopping cart, on our tables, or in our cars.

In Memphis and Shelby County, it seems that something somewhere has gone wrong with the way we eat.   In 2007, we received the distinction, courtesy of Forbes Magazine, of being the most obese city in the United States.  In addition, Memphis is now the nation's "Hunger Capitol", according to a study published earlier this year by the Food Research and Action Center.   While the confluence of hunger and obesity may at first seem illogical, more and more research is indicating that the two in fact go hand in hand.   This confluence also calls into questions the assumption that obesity results solely from a failure of the will - that personal choices are to blame.  Surely we are responsible for our choices, but overemphasizing personal responsibility obscures the reality that we are part of a complex system that often makes the healthy choice the hard choice and the unhealthy choice the easy choice, or, in some cases, the only choice.

A systemic problem calls for systemic change.  From a food policy perspective, the solution to hunger and obesity may be one and the same: make sure everyone in Memphis and Shelby County has access to a safe, healthy, and affordable diet.   Make the healthy choice the easy choice.

Through this blog, we will keep you up to date on local, regional, and even some national policy issues that impact the food environment.  We'll let you know about innovative policies and programs locally and around the country, share relevant research and resources around food policy issues, and let you know how you can get involved in shaping a better food system.