Detroit Food Policy Council

Author: Contributing Member

bookmark_borderReunion, Recovery and Resilience at the BUGS Conference

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By Dazmonique Carr, Healthy Corner Store Initiative and Great Grocer Project Program Manager, (Former) Sustainable Agricultural Seat on Detroit Food Policy Council

This blog post was difficult to write not only because what I experienced at the Black Urban Growers (BUGs) conference was so robust but because the work on the land is much deeper than words can describe. I write with guidance from the ancestors to who(m) tended the land as I do and continue to ask for guidance and protection.

About the BUGs conference: “Black Urban Growers (BUGs), founded in 2010, is committed to building networks and community support for growers in both urban and rural settings. Through education and advocacy around food and farm issues, we nurture collective Black leadership to support Black agrarianism and reimagine Black futures. Based in New York City, BUGs reach is national through its annual conference. 2022 will be the 10th conference. We know the real revolution is Black People reclaiming our lives through food sovereignty and justice. Our ancestral lineage is rooted in culture, land, food, and community. We honor the joys and the sores that are seen on the land, and we advance with visions of recuperation, reciprocity, and representation that impact the health and economic sustainability of land-based stewardship.” (source link: https://blackurbangrowers.org/about/)

I attended the BUGs conference in Atlanta (“ATL”) from October 14th to October 16th , 2022. The conference was hosted at Georgia State University and included a host of engaging activities in a holistic and inclusive way. Not only did I attend the conference but my maternal family lives in Alabama, a few hours outside of ATL and I was able to visit them and visit our ancestral land where many of our family is buried and where my family holds a few hundred acres in Fig Tree, Alabama. No I did not see any fig trees on the land but lots of timber to create with. None the less, a trip down south is “always deeper”. Please know that I write this blog post as I reflect on my experience as a land owner, land steward, someone who has agriculture in her DNA, this was my first BUGS conference that I have ever been able to attend, all experienced parallel to my first ancestral trail to visit my family’s heritage and learn where my mother grew up and how her mother was raised. I learned a lot and felt even more.
• Activities that I participated in at the included volunteering at Gratitude Botanical Farm (Urban Garden in Mid-Atlanta); Permaculture Break out session and a few others, Seed Swap Session, Festival Celebration supporting Black artisan food producers who grow and process most of the foods they produce; walking tour of Truly Living Well Agricultural Center where tangible skills where demonstrated like yarn making, harvesting & processing indigo dye and black smith welding. (Videos were captured but not compiled in an appealing and what I feel presentable way. Maybe soon to come to YouTube.)
• The theme of the conference was Reunion, Recovery, and Resilience; in which a lot of us have embodied post Covid-19. Recovery stood out to me and to and to me means that you are able to keep going no matter what is thrown at you.
• Featured Speakers included: Dr. Gail Myers–Cultural Anthropologist; Co-founder of Farms to Grow Inc; Filmmaker; Stephen Satterfield – Host of Netflix’s High on the Hog; Founder, Whetstone Magazine; Matthew Raiford – James Beard nominated chef and farmer; Author of Bress and Nyam; Gillard Farm located in Brunswick, GA and a fire chat conversation with Shirley Sherrod (in-person) – National civil rights figure, advocate and global thought leader on U.S. agriculture policy and its impact on Black farmers and the Black community. Member, Biden Administration’s USDA Equity Commission; Video remarks from Dr. Jessica B. Harris – New York Times Author of High on the Hog; American culinary historian, college professor, cookbook author and journalist; Video remarks from Natalie Baszile – Author of the novel turned OWN’s television series, Queen Sugar and the recent book We Are Each Other’s Harvest

I learned that in Atlanta, agriculture is the #1 Industry and ATL is known to be the City of the Forest with great air quality and a fall appearance almost all year round. I was a recipient of seed swapping where different farmers and organizations hosted tables of seeds that they were giving away. A nation building technique that can feed many. The stories behind the seeds were just as important as the seeds themselves in my opinion.

DFPC Chair Patrice Brown, Program Manager Dazmonique Carr, and Executive Director Winona Bynum at BUGS Conference in Atlanta

In the midst of my reflection at this conference, I shut down and isolated myself from everyone at the conference to reflect in solitude. I wasn’t able to attend as many of the sessions that I would have liked but from my reflection I realized that over the years, I have participated in land stewardship by way of being a volunteer to many others’ land. Although I owned my own house and side lot during what I’ll call a career of volunteerism. I didn’t know what went into growing food on your own land and was shocked by what I owned. I was very uneducated about what went into land ownership let alone land stewardship. My insecurities extended the process of me actually implementing and executing something on my land. I didn’t ask questions because I didn’t feel like I knew what questions to ask at the time. I went without intensive implementation on my land for five years. Learning as I grew crops without ownership of the soil I was stewarding. Once being “forced” by the powers that be/ The Creator to work on my own land (0.25 acres at the time), I finally embraced what I did and didn’t know in 2022 by planting seeds of resilence and hope for development of now almost 2.5 acres of Detroit’s east side. What I learned is that gardening and farming are experiential tasks, they are learned by doing and one must start to get momentum going to be able to reflect, act and change any type of system they participate in and hope to change. I have a visceral connection to the land and know that “its always deeper” than just farming, raising animals and land/home ownership.

As I reflect more about this trip, I will have more to say and may find the proper platform to do so in its appropriate time. Thanks for reading and I hope people who also visited the conference form Detroit chose to share their experience as well. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me about anything. I now pass the Sustainable Agriculture Seat to Ikaje [pronounced ee-kah-jay] a.k.a “Brother Truth” of Liberated Farms, volunteer and former staff of D-Town Farm, member of Detroit Black Community Food & Security Network (DBCFSN). And so it is. (:

bookmark_borderDBCFSN Feeds the Future Food Warriors with Flava’ After-School Programming

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Mama Hanifa is one of the founding members of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN). She currently serves as the Education and Outreach Director and Coordinator of the Food Warriors Youth Development Program and the Food N’ Flava Youth Entrepreneurship Program. Mama Hanifa is mother to two biological adult sons, one adult “bonus” son, three-grandsons, and parenting grandmother to 17 year old Na’Kyah; in addition,she is a community Mama to many. All of her children inspire her and continue to give her the purpose to continue to do the work for which she is so passionate.

Written by DFPC  Youth Chair Asha McElroy
DBCFSN grew from the seed that was germinated at Nsoroma Institute, a small African-centered Academy in the city of Detroit. DBCFSN’s Executive Director, Malik Yakini was one of the co-founders and served as principal of the school and Mama Hanifa taught at Nsoroma Institute for 12 years. Food security was an integral part of the school’s curriculum. As such, every teacher was required to have at least one lesson a week that focused on some aspect of the food system. Baba Malik, at the time, had a bookstore called the Black Star Community Bookstore which was also a community gathering space. It was in this safe space that we began to have a series of community conversations around the food landscape in the city of Detroit. This was at a time when the major chain grocery stores such as Meijer were leaving the city, with Farmer Jack being the last to make its exit in 2007. The departure of these once stable community food outlets, created a precarious situation as it related to healthy food access in the city. As a community we began to bear witness to the many vulnerabilities caused by the lack of access to healthy food options due to lack of transportation to travel to grocery stores located in suburban communities leaving gas stations, dollar stores and fast-food restaurants the only food choices for far too many. It’s always easy to identify a problem, but the real work begins in with the decision to move from problem identification to problem resolution.

Another phenomenon that was occurring almost simultaneously was young white suburbanites coming into the City of Detroit to establish community gardens. On the surface, their actions could be perceived as having good intentions, but up close and personal, it was in reality an affront because at no time were we a part of the conversation. Again, the missionary “white savior” mentality on full display as if we needed someone from “outside” the community, mind you, the very same people who had abandoned the city, to come in and rescue us. Absurd, especially when it comes to agricultural technology. To come into our community and make decisions without having any conversations with community members, an act of total disrespect to the people. An even more damaging outcome of their actions was the distorted optics being presented to our children. It is psychologically damaging to Black children when they only see white leadership in their communities in relationship to that which is life enhancing and life sustaining. Seeing someone who does not look like them coming in to “help us” with whatever the problem or the perception of the problem. It is our belief that those who are closest to the problem are the ones who are most capable of addressing and resolving that problem. Food insecurity continues to be a concern within our community. If you have been to any supermarket in the last month or so, you can understand why our ability to address the issue of food insecurity is more important now than ever before!

Our children must be integrated into this work and they must understand that the ability to grow your own food is liberating and not something to be ashamed of. This work is liberating because you understand that self-reliance is guiding the work and not someone from the outside. We don’t need saviors; we don’t need anyone to come in from the outside to save us because we have everything that we need. We can provide the solutions to whatever the obstacles that prevent us from having an optimal life.

Self-determination is defined as providing for and maintaining for yourself. The Food Warriors program is not only about teaching our youth how to grow food but to also understand the importance of and relationship between nutrition, physical activity and good health. The program reintegrates youth into the natural environment by helping them to understand that we are a part of this natural world. Not only are we an integral part of nature but it is our responsibility to be the caretakers of nature or Mother Earth. One of the first lessons that the Food Warriors learn is that every living organism in nature has a purpose. When we go out into the garden and see a bug, most six and seven-year old’s first inclination is to squash the bug. In the Food Warriors Program, youth learn that there are organisms that are beneficial and then there are organisms that can be harmful, but there is also a natural rhythm and balance to nature, and part of that balance is that the beneficial organisms will help to keep in check those that might be harmful. As we learn about the various plants, youth learn to identify plants that are commonly called “weeds”, but many of those “weeds” contain properties that may be beneficial to our health and well-being.

As the children spend more time in the garden, they begin to really connect with the rhythms of nature and that’s where the magic really happens. In June of 2022, at The Barack Obama Leadership Academy, one of the teachers came out and she was admiring the garden. One of my first graders, an ambassador in the garden and one of my first gardeners, began to engage the teacher in conversation identifying various plants that we are growing in the garden. To bear witness to this 6-year-old engaging this adult in identifying garlic, strawberries, rhubarb, and collards was a magical sight. At one point, Mama Hanifa’s first grader said, “Oh no, these are not collard greens, this is rhubarb. The reason that the rhubarb and the strawberries are growing together is because they are best friends, but you can’t eat the leaf because the leaf will make you sick you can only eat the stalk.”

The first Food N’ Flava Program was in 2015. Food N’ Flava is an entrepreneurial program that engages 14- to 16-year-olds in food systems education with the goal being the opportunity to create value added products that can be marketed. The program provides space to assist youth with designing value added products that they can take to market in order to understand the many aspects of the food system including production, processing, manufacturing, distribution, and consumption. More specifically, youth gain hands-on experience and a deepening of their understanding of food security and its relationship to our ultimate goal of food sovereignty in the city of Detroit.

The Food N’ Flava Program this year is from July 9th through October 29th.  There are community partners to assist in the overall program and these partners have expertise in specific areas. Youth will have the opportunity to go into one of the community kitchens to develop their product! Mama Hanifa is a canner, so the youth learned about canning and herbal tea blends, then the youth have the opportunity to take their products to the annual DBCFSN harvest festival and they set-up a booth to sell their handmade goods. The fourth principle, Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) is demonstrated from start to finish in the Food N’ Flava Program.

There are presently three Food Warriors Programs. There are two afterschool program sites, Barack Obama Leadership Academy on the Eastside and McDowell Preparatory Academy on the Westside. Our Saturday community program site at the of the Black Madonna Church is presently on pause for the summer. We are looking to resume activities at the Shrine in the fall. Either in person or a continuation of our 2nd and 4th Saturday virtual sessions. If families are interested in the Saturday program, contact Mama Hanifa (hadjuman@dbcfsn.org) for more information.

The Detroit Black Community Food Security Network is a blueprint for black food sovereignty and self-determination. It is the hope that developing and affirming agricultural technological skills in our youth by way of the Food Warriors and Food N’ Flava programs, will plant seeds that will become the legacies of food sovereignty for generations to come.

These programs teach our youth that they should never be ashamed to pick up a hoe, a rake, or a spade because Africans were the first to domesticate an animal, to cultivate a crop and the first to develop our relationship with Mother Earth. These activities took place long before we were stolen from our homeland, and this genius of agriculture, and although not the only reason, was certainly one of the reasons for our capture and enslavement. We must always remember, as we go about this work, to stay rooted in who we are and continue to teach our children who they are and who our ancestors were. As part of the foundation of DBCFSN, our youth programs are designed to provide the next generation with the tools needed to continue to advance the work of food sovereignty even as they speak our names at the Ancestral roll call.

bookmark_borderLocal Food Processors Are Getting Ready for Spring

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By Contributing Member Dr. Velonda Anderson, Ph.D.

Spring has sprung and food processors are shifting their menu for seasonal offerings and preparation for the Farmers’ Market season. Detroit is feeling the ongoing energy as new plant-based friendly restaurants pop up all over town.

This year, food manufacturers can expect to see many of the same ongoing trends, but others will emerge this year as the ramifications from COVID-19 continue to be felt across industries. Innovation in sustainability practices will be a top priority as manufacturers adapt to growing consumer demands and ESG requirements evolve. Supply chain disruptions and widespread labor shortages will continue to make their impact and thus shift the balance between retail products and food service

Food Manufacturing Blog, Feb. 28, 2022
https://www.foodmanufacturing.com/consumer-trends/blog/22081182/the-top-food-industry-trends-to-expect-in-2022

Website www.foodmanufacturing.com blogger Douglas Woodruff recently posted discussion on the 2022 top industry trends as listed below:

  • Commitment to Sustainability
  • The Rise of Plant-Based
  • Increased IoT Connectivity and Automation
  • Balance between Food Service and Retail

Speaking of plant-based friendly, shout out to VegMichigan for hosting VegFest once again after a two-year hiatus and making it a mostly outdoor event at the Eastern Market!

VegFest

Sunday, June 5, 2022, 10am – 4pm

Eastern Market | Sheds 5 & 6

Velonda Anderson is a nutritionist, professor, author and speaker. She is the Founder and CEO of Sweet Potato Delights http://www.sweetpotatodelights.com 

bookmark_borderPress Release from the Detroit Health Department

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City of Detroit Press Release

From Contributing Member, Yolanda Hill-Ashford

FOR RELEASE: November 18, 2021 

GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING SAFE HOLIDAYS, WHETHER TRAVELING OR AT HOME

  • Get vaccinations and boosters now, and schedule rapid tests just prior to celebrations
  • Simple guidelines can help reduce the risk of spread

The City of Detroit remains well into a high rate of transmission for COVID-19, with cases and percent positivity continuing to rise at an alarming rate over the 14 days. The Detroit Health Department is issuing the following guidelines to help Detroiters in planning holiday gatherings that keep everyone safe from COVID-19:

  • All Detroiters who are eligible should get vaccinated. The Detroit Health Department is offering vaccinations for Detroiters ages 12+ at sites across the City, including drive-through, extended hours and pop-up sites. Walk-ins welcome. Also in home (by appointment). Call 313-230-0505 or visit detroitmi.gov for more information (all sites will be closed on Thursday & Friday, November 25-26, in observance of Thanksgiving holiday)
  • Children ages 5-11 are now eligible to receive a pediatric dose of the Pfizer vaccine at two locations: 100 Mack Avenue (M-F, 4 PM – 8 PM) and Northwest Activities Center, 18100 Meyers, (M-F, 9 AM – 7 PM and Saturdays 9 AM – 1 PM). Call 313-230-0505 to schedule an appointment. Please note all sites will be closed on Thursday & Friday, November 25-26, in observance of Thanksgiving holiday
  • All Detroiters who are eligible for a booster should get their booster. The Detroit Health Department is offering boosters of all three vaccines
  • Get tested the day before gathering or at most 72 hours in advance. This will decrease the risk of transmission and make everyone feel more comfortable. Free rapid COVID-19 tests are available by appointment at the Joseph Walker Williams Community Center, 8431 Rosa Parks Blvd. (M-F, 9 AM – 5 PM), no prescription necessary. Please note Center will be closed Thursday & Friday, November 25-26, in observance of Thanksgiving holiday
  • Keep gatherings small and celebrate outdoors if possible
  • For large family gatherings where everyone isn’t vaccinated, propose a fun and entertaining virtual event to keep the risk low
  • Observe all COVID-19 safety protocols: wear a mask when gathering with people from outside your household whether vaccinated or not, wash your hands or use hand sanitizer regularly
  • Avoid crowds and high-risk gatherings where you don’t know the vaccination status of others
  • If you are traveling, try to quarantine for at least one week following your return home
  • Get a flu shot
  • Anyone who does not feel well should stay home

“We are all looking forward to celebrating the holidays in person with our loved ones this year, and we want everyone to stay safe and healthy,” said Denise Fair Razo, Chief Public Health Officer. “We want to help Detroiters plan their holidays so that everyone can enjoy a healthy, happy visit with loved ones and friends. Whether you are cooking a big dinner at home or traveling to celebrate, I encourage everyone to get vaccinated if they are eligible to do so and take precautions to protect against COVID-19. The vaccines are safe and effective, and they remain the best tool we have in keeping everyone safe from COVID-19.”

You can learn more by contacting us at 313-230-0505, visit www.detroitmi.gov/health. Click here for a holiday video advisory from Chief Public Health Officer Fair Razo.

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bookmark_borderHappy Harvest Month(s)! Local news from a local farmer.

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By Contributing Member Dazmonique Carr

Many people are excited for September and October. Not only it is Libra season but these are the months where we can reap the harvest of the seeds sown farmer’s like myself. My name is Dazmonique Carr and I own a company called Deeply Rooted Produce. We distribute locally grown fruits and vegetables to Metro Detroit with a goal to decrease produce waste at the source of its growth by creating multiple streams of distribution and of income for urban farms in the city of Detroit. We service community members with produce boxes and strive to roll out a zero waste mobile grocery store in the near future.

Currently our farm is growing: a few different varieties of tomatoes, peppers (bell, Anaheim & cayenne), eggplants (black beauty & Japanese long), collards, Dino Kale, Salad Mix, Snap Peas, Strawberries, Fruit trees, and more.

Any of this produce that isn’t sold in produce boxes is then sold at farmer’s markets if we choose to attend. Otherwise the produce is used in our Sunday Dinner that we host, every single Sunday.

Furthermore due to the abundance of the growth of the farm, we will be rolling out a $20 box available. We only have 100 boxes available for the duration of the sale so you must act fast!! And make sure you wait for the sale because boxes are currently regularly priced. We source from our own farm at 2560 Chalmers, Occupy Yourselves Urban Agricultural Center, C.R.I.T.E.R.I.O.N Urban Farm, Rivendell Gardens, Rescue MI Nature Now, WJP Urban Farm and more. We source food mostly from East side farmers that have grown thousands of pounds of produce this year alone. We’ll have more data specifics closer to the season’s end.

● Deeply Rooted Garden: 2560 Chalmers
● Occupy Yourselves Urban Agricultural Center: Mayfield & Peoria (Off of Gratiot)
● C.R.I.T.E.R.I.O.N Urban Farm: 2911 Monterey
● Rivendell Gardens: 14545 Wilshire Drive
● Rescue MI Nature Now: Derby 19984 Derby Street
● WJP Urban Farm: Warren and Van Dyke at Parker Street

There are many actions you can take to support the farms listed above. If food sustainability and food waste is a significant issue that you would like to help us solve, consider attending our Data Workshop, where we will be presenting food mapping data from Deeply Rooted Produce operations alone. In this workshop we would seek to receive feedback on how we can improve and will be displaying our cyclical operations. Maybe reach out to us and discuss what data points you are specifically interested in. The workshop will be hosted on the week of October 18th and will not interfere with the Detroit Food Conference. We are interested in data that results in more community members (specifically those in low income neighborhoods) eating produce grown in Detroit city limits.

Action Items:

  • Attend Sunday Dinner: 10/10/21 You can also donate to our organization on our website, which will be matched on our ioby campaign until the end of the season.
  • Purchase a produce box on deeplyrootedproduce.com so that we are sourcing more produce from these lovely farmers and so that they can afford to spend less time at farmer’s market
  • Volunteer: every Tuesday we have volunteer hours at our Chalmers Farm from about 10:30AM to about 3:30pm or so. Check out our instagram and facebook for updates.
  • We are hiring! Apply to work with us, accepting applications for delivery drivers, farm harvesters and weeders. Fill out the form here.

bookmark_borderLearning to Love Vegetables

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By Contributing Member, Lindsay Pielack

In a dinner time battle with my 7-year-old child recently, I got frustrated and said “you know, research-based evidence says children should try vegetables three times and in three different ways!” She cried, I felt like a failure at my job and a bad parent, and I’m pretty sure whatever food I was trying to push got left on the plate. The next day, she planted herself in a large hole in her garden outside after a long and joyful search for cherry tomatoes and I was reminded of my own advice that raising a healthy child that will grow into a healthy adult is a journey and that the garden is my ally.

At Keep Growing Detroit (KGD) in my role supporting garden development, I have had the privilege to work in partnership with thousands of Detroit families and caregivers as they too navigate how to prepare their children for a healthy future. Each year, thousands of families and groups, including block clubs, churches, early childhood centers and organizations of all kinds, join the Garden Resource Program (GRP) picking up seeds and transplants to grow vegetable gardens.  In 2021, 22% of the 1,966 gardens that participated in the GRP were growing with children birth to 5 and I am inspired by all the ways I have seen residents using gardens as a tool to engage their children from a very young age. They are providing opportunities for their young children to build familiarity with fruits and vegetables, learn about food and culture, and support them to grow healthy connections to food and culture (again, that they may choose to eat someday!). For many children, their garden, whether at home, down the street, or at their daycare center, will also be a place where they first begin to explore the wonders of nature. And finally, for all of us, the garden is the place where at any age, we can grow and learn new skills, from observation and science to math, reading and tools for resiliency!  That said, gardening doesn’t come naturally for everyone and there are certainly numerous challenges or barriers that caregivers may face, including limited time, lack of access to greenspace or the most common thing I hear, “I don’t have a green thumb…I kill everything!”. So, that’s where KGD comes in! As more caregivers’ express interest in learning to garden and connecting their children to where food comes from, KGD is here to ensure they have the resources and encouragement they need to successfully grow and utilize gardens as the amazing tool that we believe them to be!

To this end, approximately 7 years ago, KGD set out with intentionality to meet Detroit’s early childcare providers, families with young children and organizations serving young children where they were at. We did this by pairing the resources offered through the Garden Resource Program with training, resources and support specific to their needs. In particular, we focused on the early childcare setting, where so many children spend time in their critical young years. Since then, a growing network of early childhood providers, including many Head Start and Early Head Start centers, have been participating in the GRP and have become champions of incorporating garden-based learning for the benefit of the young children and families they serve. At these centers, outdoor learning environments are blooming with flowers and vegetables, full of books that tell funny stories about vegetables (check out “Monsters Don’t Eat Broccoli!”), and alive with hilarious commentary at snack times as children debate the winner of raw vs. cooked beans in a taste test.  As one provider shared recently with us, her 5+ year journey went from “While we were excited to have a gardening program, myself and my staff had no idea about gardening,” to

“Because we were so excited about the garden and the children began to spend so much time out there, we decided to expand…We wanted to bring the indoors outside. We began to look at the space in a different light. How can we do lessons outside? How can we do snack outside? How can we do circle time outside? How can we incorporate our garden into each one of these activities that we normally do in the building?”

Hoping to guide and support more caregivers along this journey, KGD has compiled our best practices into the KGD’s Garden Based Learning Guide, a self-paced guide which contains over 100 tips and tools for how to establish and maintain gardens, activate outdoor learning environments to engage young children, and introduce fruits and vegetables through snacks, meals and play. The Guide also introduces and encourages connections to the incredible network of community resources and organizations working to improve Detroit’s food system, supporting increased access to local healthy food and opportunities to maximize food dollar benefits at local outlets. Whether you are just exploring the idea of starting a garden or looking for fun activities to do with your child, the self-paced Guide is a great place to get inspiration and useful tips for beginning to grow lifelong healthy habits!

So, the next time your child rejects the beans, maybe you say “ok, let’s try them again another day” and then choose your own adventure for how you might introduce them differently the next time. In between, find some coloring pages of vegetables, visit a famers’ market or garden or invite your child to help snap the ends off of the beans while you cook. I know I’m constantly challenged to practice what I preach as I find my way with my own child, but I’m grateful to the abundant inspiration and resources that Detroit’s network of parents, caregivers and organizations offer. I look forward to continuing to connect more parents and caregivers to this incredible network as we work together to grow a healthy future for all of Detroit’s children!

bookmark_borderWeight neural approaches to health and why we need them

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Featured photo

By Contributing Member, Dr. Alyssa Beavers, PhD, RD

Weight neutral approaches to health such as Health at Every Size, Intuitive Eating, and many others have exploded in popularity over recent years.   While each of these approaches has unique characteristics, there are common threads among them.  Most notably, they share the stance that focusing on weight as a marker of health, and weight loss as a way to improve health, is ineffective and even harmful.  While weight neutral approaches to health have not yet become widely accepted, there is mounting evidence to support them. 

Why is focusing on weight and weight loss ineffective?

The most commonly used metric to determine if someone is at a supposedly “normal” weight is the Body Mass Index (BMI), a calculation that takes into account a person’s height and weight to classify them as “underweight,” “normal weight,” “overweight,” or “obese.”  Using BMI as a measure of health has been harshly criticized for not accurately measuring whether someone is healthy.  For example, one study found that 30% of people with a “normal” BMI were actually metabolically unhealthy (they had conditions such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar), and 50% of those with “overweight” BMI’s were metabolically healthy.  Therefore, relying on BMI as the sole measure of health did not accurately measure the health of a large share of the participants.

Focusing on weight loss as a health goal also has major problems.  Diets simply don’t work at achieving lasting weight loss.  In 2020, researchers compiled data from 121 studies that examined how much weight was lost on a variety of popular diets.  Overall, these studies included nearly 22,000 participants.  They found that after 6 months, the amount of weight lost in most diets was between 5 and 15 pounds, but much of this lost weight was regained at 12 months. 

The inability to maintain weight loss is not due to a lack of willpower, not trying hard enough, or any other personal failure.  It is hardwired into our biology.  When we eat less than our bodies need to maintain our weight, our metabolism slows down.  That means you would have to eat even less than you previously did to maintain your body weight.  Losing weight also has powerful effects on the brain.  It results in being unable to stop thinking about food, and even makes food smell and taste better.  The slowed metabolism and preoccupation with food that come with weight loss have thousands of years of evolution behind them.  Reducing metabolism to conserve energy and increasing motivation to find food functioned to prevent starvation when food was not plentiful. 

Why is focusing on weight harmful?

Even more concerning is the harm that focusing on weight or weight loss can inflict.  Many people who attempt to lose weight will end up in a cycle of weight loss and weight regain, known as weight cycling, which is associated with a wide variety of negative health outcomes.  There are also negative mental health impacts of individuals focusing on their weight, including body dissatisfaction and disordered eating.  Focusing on weight has also become a massive problem at a societal level in the US and beyond.  People with larger bodies are stereotyped, and experience unfair treatment and teasing or bullying, which is referred to as weight bias or weight stigma.  Weight stigma or teasing does not serve as a motivator to lose weight.  In fact, it leads to less healthy eating behaviors and less physical activity.  This may explain why experiencing weight bias or stigma is associated with negative health outcomes (such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes).  Unfortunately, weight stigma frequently comes from doctors. People who experience weight stigma from their doctor go to the doctor less frequently, another way in which weight stigma may damage health. 

What weight neutral approaches to health DO focus on

Weight neutral approaches often emphasize uncoupling health behaviors from their effects on body weight, such as being active and eating fruits and vegetables because you enjoy them and they are good for your health as opposed to helping maintain or lose weight.  Many of these approaches acknowledge that health is not just about personal choices; health is influenced by a variety of systemic inequities in things that promote and hinder health, such as access to healthy food and healthcare.  They honor mental wellbeing just as much as physical wellbeing, with a heavy focus on improving body image and body acceptance, working to undo internalized weight stigma. 

bookmark_borderIf it’s essential, why do we not place a higher value on it?

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By Contributing Member, Chef Kevin Frank

As the events of the last year have shown, the food industry is a critical part of the nation’s infrastructure.  Be it commercial or non-profit, this nation could not function without the dedicated foodservice workers bravely going to work day in and day out.  This industry literally feeds the nation.  Specifically referring to school foodservice, an average of 21 million lunches and 11.5 million breakfasts were served to students daily in FY 2020.  One would think that the industry that nourishes our nation’s most vulnerable population would receive unilateral support and be allotted ample resources.  Why then are so many school foodservice programs struggling financially?  Why is the overarching public sentiment that school food is substandard and unappealing?  Why, if school foodservice is essential, is it not valued more?

Is it REALLY essential?

               According to Edunacationdata.org, there were 50.8 million students enrolled in public schools for the 2019-2020 school year.  The 21 million students who ate school lunch daily in that year represent 41.3% of the total enrollment in public schools.  The 11.5 million breakfasts represent 22.6% of the nation’s students receiving one or more of their daily meals at school.  According to nokidhungry.org, approximately 1 in 6, or 13 million children in the United States live in food insecure homes. Given these staggering numbers, it can easily be stated that the school breakfast program (SBP) and National school lunch program (NSLP) provide services that are essential for the overall well-being of our nation’s children.

Ok…It may be essential, but what’s it worth?

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food plan for April of 2021, the “thrifty” average cost to feed a male child between the ages of 9 to 11 years is $38.20/ week. At 3 meals a day, for 7 days a week, this equates to $1.82 per meal.  It is important to mention that the thrifty meal plan is designed to “Offer a more realistic reflection of the time available for food preparation, especially with increased expectations for work in assistance programs. Hence, it allows more prepared foods and requires somewhat fewer preparations from scratch.” (USDA.gov, 2007) This plan essentially encourages highly processed quick foods with very little scratch preparation.  Conversely, The Moderate food plan for the same child is $65.90 per week, which equates to $3.13 per meal.  While this is much better, even this plan relies on more processed food and minimal scratch preparation at home. Even the Liberal Food plan, which incorporates the most scratch cooking, still relies heavily on processed foods. This plan comes to $3.61 per meal for the male child between the ages of 9-11 years. 

                According to a meta-analysis conducted by the Harvard school of Public Health, it costs on average $1.50 more per meal to eat a “healthy” diet. (Dwyer, 2013) For the purposes of the study, healthy was defined as “diets rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, and nuts” while the unhealthy diets were considered “rich in processed foods, meats, and refined grains” (Dwyer, 2013).  The reason that this information is important is because the current regulations surrounding school meals require fresh fruits, whole grains, fresh vegetables, with minimal fat and sodium, and have very strict calorie ranges.  These regulations need to be met in order for school foodservice programs to be reimbursed for the meals.  The current reimbursement rate is $3.56 for lunch and $2.26 for breakfast per meal in high need (over 60% free or reduced meal) programs.  Specifically for lunch, the reimbursement is 5 cent less than the average meal cost for a liberal meal plan that still relies on many highly processed foods and minimal scratch preparation.  The regulations however call for the opposite.  How then are programs supposed to meet the regulations when only being given enough money to purchase food that is highly processed?

Moreover, this calculation does not take into account labor, variable costs and other expenses associated with running a foodservice program.  The USDA meal plans are based on home cooking and feeding where labor, equipment, and infrastructure are assumed to be other parts of the household budget. With school meals however, the reimbursement per meal is supposed to cover all expenses.  According to the School Nutrition Association (SNA) on average, school meal programs spend 44.7% of their revenue ($1.59) on the cost of food, 44.5% on labor and benefits, 9.5% on direct costs like supplies and equipment, and 1.3% on indirect costs (costs paid to the school district for admin fees, building maintenance etc.).  These numbers show that many school meal programs are relegated to spending less per meal than the USDA thrifty meal plan allots for a diet that is highly processed with minimal scratch cooked foods, or to equate it to the Harvard meta-analysis, unhealthy.  How then are programs supposed to meet the regulations or foster a paradigm shift without the financial resources to do it?

What can be done to help?

The National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program are both federal programs designed for social welfare.  If there are changes to be made, it requires unilateral support from not only the government, but the public as well.  Change starts at home.  Reaching out to local, state, and federal representatives is the first step toward change.  There are hungry children who cannot be adequately cared for with the current model. They deserve better. It takes a village.

bookmark_borderDetroit People’s Food Co-op Coming Soon!

Posted on by Contributing Member

By Contributing Member, Dr. Akua Woolbright, Ph.D.

The Detroit People’s Food Co-op (DPFC) is an African American led, member-owned grocery cooperative, which will be located in the historic North End at 8324 Woodward Avenue.

DPFC will be a full-service grocery store, offering a wide variety of products including locally grown produce, groceries, baked goods, meats, fish, dairy, frozen foods, health and beauty items, beer, and wine.  Although the exact product mix is still being refined, it is expected that about 80% of the store products will be natural and organic and 20% will be clean conventional. The store will also offer a deli and prepared foods department.

Detroit People’s Food Co-Op Annual Meeting 2019

DPFC will support the health and economic success of our community. We will carry fresh, healthy food and uphold high product standards in line with the desires of our member/owners and to support community health. Educational materials and classes will be offered to help people learn more about nutrition, cooking, healthy living, sustainability, community development, and more. DPFC is not profit-driven. We are looking to contribute to the local economy and promote spending within Detroit.In line with cooperative principles, DPFC will work with other businesses to support their efforts and keep as much money as possible within the city. We will prioritize buying from local growers and producers, service providers and other vendors, whenever possible, to help our community thrive. In addition, the co-op will create close to 50 jobs for residents. These activities are guided by our mission and purpose which includes:

  1. Improving community access to fresh and healthy food
  2. Educating the community about nutrition and sustainability
  3. Benefiting the community by supporting local businesses
  4. Assuring Member access to the goods, services, and facilities of the co-op.

You can be a part of this movement. Detroit residents aged 21 years and older can purchase a lifetime membership for a 1-time fee of just $200, which can be paid in 10 monthly installments. Each person who joins will own 1 share of the co-op and be eligible for periodic store discounts and profit-sharing down the line when the store becomes profitable. The co-op is democratically controlled by its member/owners who have 1 vote and elect six of the nine members of the co-op’s board of directors, the governing body of the co-op. The other three board members are appointed by the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network (DBCFSN), the non-profit organization leading the formation of the co-op. That nine-person board sets policy and receives regular input from member/owners through our monthly board, committee and membership meetings. Member/owners can also run, or nominate others, for the board of directors.

Co-Op members at a member recruitment event

Think about that. You can own a share in a grocery store, and your vote and participation will allow you to decide who sits on the board and influence the direction of this project. You will have more control over your food supply and a say in what’s happening in our city. We can’t help but notice the change that is happening within Detroit. There is an increasing number of new sports and entertainment centers, expensive stores, gourmet restaurants, and high rises going up, it seems like every day, and this “development” is no longer contained to downtown. It is creeping up Woodward Avenue. We have what is now called Midtown and New Center, and it is extending to the North End, Highland Park, and neighborhoods across the city. These activities lie in the hands of a few and are typically led by people who do not look like the majority residents or have our best interests in mind. Many of us are concerned about these changes but feel powerless to stop it. DPFC gives us something positive we can get behind and put our passion and energy into. You can be part of this historic effort to return some control to the people – to give us more control of our food and economic resources. Within the cooperative structure each member/owner has a vote for the board of directors and can participate in decision-making and planning. Cooperatives also return control to black people and other historically disenfranchised groups. While anyone is welcomed and encouraged to join us in this effort, it is important to know that DPFC is a black-led organization. This is a stark difference to what we’re seeing in the corporate structures inundating this city. You can be a part of that change. You can have a say.

Co-Op members gathered at the annual member meeting in 2019

We need you. Not just what your one-time $200 membership fee can do to help us reach our financial goals. We need the power of your presence and participation. Cooperatives are businesses run by the people, for the people. A co-op can’t be given to a community. Members of the community must want the co-op and be willing to work together to bring it into being. Prior to opening, DPFC member/owners are expected to move the work of the co-op forward by participating in one of our three working committees: Membership and Outreach – working to recruit 2,000 members before the store opens; Operations – hiring the general manager and determining store policies, product line and staffing needs; and Finance – developing budgets, policies and procedures.

We currently have 1,230 member/owners, surpassing our initial membership goal of 1,000 member/owners prior to opening day, and have now increased our goal to 2,000. You can help us get there by joining today.

For more information about the co-op or to join, visit our website: detroitpeoplesfoodcoop.com. You can also reach us via email or phone at either info@detroitpeoplesfoodcoop.com or (833) DPFC313 (833) 373-2313.

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