GoodFood World Policy Statement
GoodFood World is a food information and consulting service that investigates, analyzes, and reports on a broad range of food topics from field to plate.
Rural communities, traditional family farmers, and small food businesses suffer while Big Ag and Big Food flourish. GoodFood World looks for best practices and the contributions of a healthy food system to the social and economic vitality of our communities.
Our food system is not equity-based; manufactured “food” full of sugar, salt, and fat is cheaper than whole, nutritionally dense foods. As a result, households on limited incomes are less likely to consume a healthy diet. In rural and low-income areas, access to good foods can vary by social class, income level, race, gender identification, and level of education.
This needs to change.
Labor in the farm fields, on fishing boats, in processing facilities, and in food service is primarily provided by people of color and seasonal and immigrant workers in harsh, dangerous, and demeaning conditions.
This needs to change.
In industrial livestock operations, food animals are caged, mistreated, bred to grow and produce vastly more meat and milk than their systems can support. Meat animals are fed “alternative foods” including sawdust; Kool-Aid mix; fish, meat, and bone meal; and feathers. Our health depends on the health of the food we eat; that means providing species-specific animal feed.
This needs to change.
The industrialization of food production and hyper-processing has brought us to a health crisis; diet-related chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, dental disease, and osteoporosis are the most common cause of death in the world.
This needs to change.
As the climate heats, dries, and weather patterns change, soil and water conservation and management become more and more important. Good food comes from healthy soil, which depends on supporting and preserving the microbial life that feeds grasslands, crops, and livestock. Without soil health, we cannot have a healthy food system.
This needs to change.
Consumers should have the information and knowledge they need to identify, purchase, and prepare healthful food from sources they know and trust. Food businesses need the assistance and support of knowledgeable professionals to plan, develop, and maintain successful organizations that produce safe, nutritional, affordable foods.
Because food is a necessity, it is truly everybody’s business. We must take back control of our food and our health, the health of our land, and the health of our communities.
We can change it.