From Charity to Rights: How European Food Strategies are Making Food Security a Reality

From Charity to Rights: How European Food Strategies are Making Food Security a Reality

ByElta Smith

Parents skipping meals to feed their children, healthcare workers relying on food banks, middle-income families struggling to afford fresh produce—these increasingly common realities reflect something more profound than individual hardships. They provide compelling evidence that our food environments are fundamentally failing to provide accessible nutrition for all.  The statistics underpinning these examples are sobering: the…

Bowl of heathy food

Rethinking food policy: Why we need a systems approach

ByElta Smith

Many factors influence our food choices. What’s for dinner depends partly on personal tastes, time, budget, and health goals. But individual decisions and preferences alone don’t determine what’s on our plates, as we are often led to believe. The food system that shapes what we eat operates on much larger scales than personal choice and…

Hands holding a seedling

Beyond the plate: how a food systems approach nourishes people and the planet

ByElta Smith

Food is far more than something to simply satisfy hunger. It is woven into the fabric of human life and planetary health. Food choices shape identity and allow us to connect with family, friends, and culture through shared meals and food rituals. Community practices related to food reinforce social bonds. Agricultural and culinary traditions link…