Course:LFS250/Week 25
Overview
In this session, we will explore the connections between the concept of food citizenship and how they relate to a new food systems professionalism. In tutorial, you will have time to prepare for the final exam.
Objectives
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
- Define food citizenship
- Articulate the relationship between food citizenship and food systems professionalism
Key Terms + Concepts
- Food citizenship
- New food systems professionalism
Required Readings + Resources
- Wilkins, J. L. (2005). Eating Right Here: Moving from Consumer to Food Citizen. Agriculture and Human Values, 22(3), 269–273.
- Lang, T. 2005. “Food control or food democracy? Re-engaging nutrition with society and the environment.” Public Health Nutrition 8(6A):730–37.
Food citizenship has been defined as "the practice of engaging in food-related behaviours that support, rather than threaten, the development of a democratic, socially and economically just, and environmentally sustainable food system" (Wilkins, 2005., pg. 269). Basically, food citizenship assumes that a population of people are food systems literate because that is how they can actually make the choice to engage in behaviours that support a just and sustainable food system. For example, let’s consider salmon. First, you might know that eating salmon is full of nutrients that are important for good health and you have many great recipes, coupled with cooking skills that you can use to prepare it for consumption. You also might have the ability to critically appraise the various ways salmon is made available to consumers (eg. fish farms vs wild) and the social, economic and political impacts of each. This confluence of the dimensions of food systems literacy can potentially lead to a decision to choose to purchase and eat salmon in a way that optimises your own health, the health of the salmon, the health of the environment, and the social and economic health of the community, producers and vendors.
It is postulated that only once a population turns from being a population of consumers to a population of engaged food citizens, can food security exist.
References
- Velardo, S. (2015). The Nuances of Health Literacy, Nutrition Literacy, and Food Literacy. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 47(4), 385–389.
- Wilkins, J. L. (2005). Eating Right Here: Moving from Consumer to Food Citizen. Agriculture and Human Values, 22(3), 269–273.
Tutorial Session
In your tutorial session, you will have time to prepare for the final exam
Additional Material
- SCHOLARLY ARTICLE - Welsh, J., & MacRae, R. (1998). Food Citizenship and Community Food Security: Lessons from Toronto, Canada. Canadian Journal of Development Studies / Revue Canadienne D’études Du Développement, 19(4), 237–255.
This article delves into the concept of food citizenship and presents the development of the Toronto Food Policy Council, a multi-sectoral and cross-jurisdictional organisation that aimed to be a vehicle for food citizenship. The council is an example of how the goal of food citizenship can be the guiding concept leading to on-the-ground, real-life action.
- VIDEO: Global Health Renegade. Posted in 2013. Do you know where your food comes from? This provocative clip illustrates the MacDonaldization of the global food industry and captures the disconnect between food production and the consumer. Just watching this video and critically thinking about it is improving your own food system literacy skills!
WARNING: SOME SCENES MAY BE HARD TO WATCH DUE TO IMAGES OF ANIMAL USE IN OUR FOOD SYSTEM.