Good Food Should Be a Right Not a Privilege

Many voices create the dialogue and language of the sustainable food movement. Thought leaders take a stand for a segment of the problem -- and hopefully the solution – and at times, these leaders come together to weave their work and visions into a conversation for change.

On stage with Sedge Thomson at West Coast Live, Alice Waters (chef, author), Raj Patel (author, activist) and Raymond Offenheiser (humanitarian) talked about the ethics of food. Though their work focuses are different, their common thread is the belief that good food should be a right for all – not a privilege for some.

"How do we link the global food crisis with a local philosophy?", asked Ray Offenheiser, president of Oxfam. 

For Waters, linkage between global and local concern develops through edible education in school: Allow every child the chance to succeed and be healthy by incorporating garden and kitchen classroom curriculum into core standards, and providing healthy free school lunch for all. Patel built upon the idea of our right to good food by mentioning the necessity of food sovereignty -- seizing control back from corporations which are dictating the rules of our food system so that we may create a democratic mandate for how we eat. With a critical eye toward supply chains, Offenheiser spoke about challenging and reforming the current conception of "value," when it comes to the quality of food corporations are providing to the people they serve.

To listen to the full hour of conversation, click here.