Director of Strengthening Democratic Capacity Team
Everyday Democracy
Many are unaware that racism rooted in structural inequities has a significant impact on our food system. From food production, to processing to consumption – systemic inequities show up in this industry. Some struggle with limited access to healthy foods particularly in communities and neighborhoods with low financial reserves. Others note low paying jobs in the food industry, that are largely filled with populations often marginalized, who then have limited opportunity for advancement.
A new resource is available that showcases the writings of many authors as well as videos on these topics. The fifth edition of “An Annotated Bibliography on Structural Racism Present in the U.S. Food System” was published in December 2017 by Michigan State University’s Center for Regional Food Systems. The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to provide current research and outreach on structural racism in the U.S. food system for the food system practitioner, researcher, and educator.
This Bibliography of writings and videos cover a wide range of very important contributors to inequitable food systems. Within these works, there are also many suggestions and recommendation of what we all can do to try to correct some of the injustice and biased systems. This resource provides a tremendous opportunity to build knowledge in this area, and work toward creating positive change.