Monday, July 11, 2011
Is Food Justice Just A Fad?
I believe that Food Justice is just a fad. Food Justice is just a bunch of words that suppose to resonate a feeling of concern but it doesn’t. Who really cares about how our food is processed. As long the food is on my plate when I’m hungry, I’m fine. Just like fitted caps being replaced with “snapbacks”, the word food justice will be seen and heard less and less until it is replaced with a new “hip” term. I mean does anyone care about Food Justice. Readers, what are your thoughts? Comment below.
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Who really cares about how our food is processed? How about the 20-25 some odd people who created this blog to make those who don't care aware of why they sould be. Those who do not care never take the time to think about the "what if's" of situations. What if you eat a food contaminated with salmanilla? What if you eat a contaminated food and end up dying 12 days later like a little boy did about 7 years ago? I am pretty sure that if something like this happens to you, you will care. Now you also said that the term "Food Justice" will be replaced with a new "hip" term. Just like the new fitteds, now called snapbacks. Well it looks to me like everyone caught on with the new trend of snapbacks. So wouldn't it be most likely that people will catch on with the new "hip" term of Food Justice. People care more than you think. Just like it will take one person to make people think that something does not matter, it will only take one person to make people think that something does matter and theres over 20 of us already on that task. Food Justice does matter and I am now on a mission to convince UB-Food of this. Thanks for the inspiration and motivation. :)
ReplyDeleteAlvin - while I agree that terms like "food justice" may come and go, I believe that the driving force behind food justice, the desire to better understand and respect the systems that our food comes from, will never change. When a friend's grandmother tells you about her food traditions and how important they are to her, when a neighbor grows squash in their backyard or on their roof and they share some of their harvest with you and their other friends, when people speak out against the unfair labor practices in farming and food production - things that have been happening long before the term "food justice" became commonplace in the 90's and 2000's - these people are participating in the process of creating a more just food system.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that as early as the 1700's in the United States, there were consumers who boycotted good produced by slave labor? They were known as the "Free Produce" movement, and they were some of the earliest Food Justice pioneers. Even though they wouldn't have identified as food justice gurus, their message is similar to the one the FJ movement pushes for today.
The world is a big place, and it may seem like no one cares. Even more than that, it can feel like the people who care are hugely overpowered by those who want to prevent change from happening. But you should not discount the voices and actions of those who care about food justice simply because it feels new or fleeting. Food justice as always been a struggle for those who eat food - it just becomes more visible during certain times and places than others.
Keep up the good work on the blog!
Maday
The term might just be a fad, but I think that the issue will be around for a long time, especially in the coming years as the global population increases dramatically, we find ourselves faced with more and more food shortages and we are forced to come up with innovative ways to feed everyone. I hope we can get some people on the bandwagon for this before things get really out of hand (or maybe they already are).
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