Connecting People with Food Policy: Gathering and Translating Live Experiences – 2

…continue from last post.

Again, Policy Matter

‘Food policy matters because food affects everyone’ (Hawkes, 2016 p3). The challenges we have been facing currently is what the policymakers did in the past and what they did not do, knowingly or unknowingly. Traditional food policy is narrow, less competitive (Centre for Food Policy, 2016); which is just carried out traditionally from the past generation. The hope is timely-effective food policy can address the managerial and behavioral problem of the food system. Indeed, the cultural preference, resource, work, and policy are preventing people to gain access to quality food (Centre for Food Policy, 2016). We just behave our food and prefer them in terms of test and familiarity which is traditionally accepted, but we don’t judge benefits, quantity, and quality in line with the need of health and food performance. The symposium was trying its best to reflect a strong need to change food policy approach.

Hence, the symposium was summarised that the experience-based policy is more effective to achieve targets than the policy formulated based on the top to bottom approach. How an individual and community experience of food problems can be gathered? To answer this question in the program; various academics, policy makers, researchers, and NGOs representatives had presented their experience on how, where and why people are in defining problems and crafting solution. Young people’s experience had also been presented. Moreover, experiences of food problem from US and Australia were also presented in the program. The centre for Food Policy is working its best to deliver better policy that fit for 21^st century to feed the increasing population and ‘leave no one behind’ (UN/SDGs)

The program was divided into three session. In the first session experts shared their experience on how do we listen, and what do we learn citizen’s experience of food problem. Second session was held on involving and empowering people with lived experiences, and finally the third one was workshops divided into seven workshops. I was participating on ‘Systems Leadership & Food: a complex problem requiring new ways of leading, thinking, feeling and doing’ workshop. The symposium was generously supported by the Worshipful Company of Cooks with splendid hygienic food.           

It might be unfair if I remain silent about the organiser of the program, the Centre for Food Policy. Beginning of 1973, The United Kingdom joined the European market then a revolution in food production, process, retailing and consumption had begun across the western society (Centre for FoodPolicy, 2016). This background leads to establishing the Centre for FoodPolicy. The centre was incepted in 1994 with the professorship and founding director of Tim Lang of Food Policy at Thames Valley University (ibid). Since then the centre has been providing a greater platform to learn about a holistic understanding of what is food policy, how it works and how it is changed. Since2015, the Centre for Food Policy has been hosting to a collaborative unique teaching program ‘IFSTAL’ (Innovative FoodSystem Teaching and Learning) with the theme of ‘no one discipline alone can solve the massive and growing problems facing global food system’(Centre for Food Policy, 2016). And, now, the academic knowledge of Post-Graduate and Ph.D. student around the issues have been empowered from the IFSTAL. I strongly recommend the essence of IFSTAL, a three-year (2015-17)funded (£2.25m grant) program by the Higher Education Funding Centre for England (HEFCE), to bring together academics and researcher around the food system problem. Now IFSTAL becomes a major source of learning on the food system. Finally, after the successful completion of this year’s theme ‘gathering and translating lived experience of food problem’, the Centre for Food Policy has announced to bring forward another theme how to make ‘inclusive food policy’ in next years symposium (Centre for Food Policy, 2016).

Finally, the program was able to underline the gap between traditional food policy and problem. A new effective food policy based on people’s experience can lead to create new equitable food system to address the needs of the future. After this successful gathering of experts, the centre is targeting to get effective outcomes on inclusive food policy too. The centre is working on concreate policy recommendation on gathering and translating lived experience of food problem that is widely believed as an effective policy option to address current chronic food problems. Addressing food problems is the productive way of addressing multidimensional poverty and the need for public participation at the policy level.   

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References

Centre for Food Policy, 2016. Centre for Food Policy 1994-2016: teaching,researching and influencing food policy. London: City, University of London

Bernal, J., Frongillo, E.A., Herrera,H. and Rivera, J., 2012. Children Live, Feel, and Respond to Experiences of Food Insecurity ThatCompromise Their Development and Weight Status in Peri-Urban Venezuela,2. The Journal of nutrition, 142(7), pp.1343-1349. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.112.158063

Department of Health, 2010. Healthy lives, healthy people: Our strategy for public health in England (Vol. 7985). The Stationery Office. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/216096/dh_127424.pdf

Fishman, A., Pearson, K. and Reicks,M., 1999. Gathering food and nutrition information from migrant farmworker children through in-depth interviews. Journal of Extension, 37(5), pp.1-6. https://www.joe.org/joe/1999october/rb3.php

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Hawkes, C., 2016. Centrefor Food Policy 1994-2016: teaching, researching and influencing food policy.London: City, University of London, p3.

Higashiguchi, T., Arai, H., Claytor,L.H., Kuzuya, M., Kotani, J., Lee, S.D., Michel, J.P., Nogami, T. and Peng, N.,2013. Taking action against malnutrition in Asian healthcare settings: an initiative of a NortheastAsia Study Group. Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition. doi: 10.6133/apjcn.022016.04

Horton, R., 2008. Maternal and child undernutrition: an urgent opportunity. Lancet, 371(9608), pp.179-179. http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/Lancetseries_UndernutritionComment.pdf

Csikszentmihalyi, M., 2014. Toward a psychology of optimal experience. In Flow and the foundations of positive psychology (pp. 209-226). SpringerNetherlands. https://www.ode.state.or.us/opportunities/grants/nclb/title_i/a_basicprograms/schoolimprovement/transformation7flow.pdf  

McKinsey Global Institute, 2014; An overview of links between obesity and food systems implications for the agriculture agenda, World Bank Group. http://www.gainhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Final-Overweight-Obesity-Report.pdf

Royte, E., 2016. How ‘Ugly’ Fruits and Vegetables CanHelp Solve World Hunger https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2016/03/global-food-waste-statistics/

[WFP USA], 2017. 8 Facts to Know about Food Waste and Hunger.  https://wfpusa.org/articles/8-facts-to-know-about-food-waste-and-hunger/#

[WHO], 2017. World hunger again on the rise, driven by conflict and climate change, new UN report says http://www.who.int/en/news-room/detail/15-09-2017-world-hunger-again-on-the-rise-driven-by-conflict-and-climate-change-new-un-report-says

[WHO], 2017a. Obesity and overweight: Key Facts. http://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight

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