Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Food justice and Municipal Governments

 I was pleased to see that Horst had cited Alkon a few times throughout the paper. A statement that really stood out to me was that people of color only show up in the food system only when problems like obesity or diabetes are referenced. 

I think a very significant point was summarized really well by a comment of one of the PSRFPC board members; how do those that are affected by the cut in food stamps (or any issue really) get engaged or influence those who are engaged. This article made it extremely obvious that current democratic processes are flawed. The people who are actually affected by the change at hand are disregarded, and only things like visual images, value of land, and other monetary luxuries are considered by policy makers. 

A lot of props are given to the City of Seattle and PSRFPC board for their focus on food justice issues. In 2014, the city budgeted 4 million dollars to programs for food banks, meal sites, and senior/childcare centers. But even the city is guilty of an issue we discussed a couple of classes ago and I specifically remember Jesus touching on this point. Funding is very valuable; however it provides a temporary solution and forces people to be even more reliant on the government in the long run. 

Overall, I feel like the author of this article did a great job assessing food justice with 5 significant categories, and by the end of the article I completely agree that while a city's municipal food strategy and a food policy council have given a lot towards food justice concerns, there are vital issues of food justice that they have not touched on. 

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