The Story of Food

From Stephanie Feldstein, Population and Sustainability Program Director

How our food gets to our plates is a long and complex drama of people, land, water and wildlife. At every step in the process — from growing and harvesting to transportation and sale — there are impacts on workers, communities and wild places. So we’re sharing underrepresented cultural stories of food during our second annual online Food Justice Film Festival, currently underway. There’s still time to check it out: To access the festival films through Sunday, Sept. 19, create a free account.  (No access code is needed.)

Also this week, our Senior Food Campaigner Jennifer Molidor interviewed renowned scholar and writer Frances Moore Lappé in honor of the 50th anniversary edition of her revolutionary book Diet for a Small Planet. They talked about what inspired Moore Lappé to write the book, the role of food justice in sustainable diets, and how the narratives around what we eat need to change. For more stories about the intersection of food, justice and wildlife, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter Food X.

Read on for the latest news on holding factory farms accountable, sustainable menu trends, and the fight for reproductive freedom.

Malawi activists Anita Chitaya and Esther Lupafya talk with an American farmer about climate change in the film The Ants & The Grasshopper. The documentary can be viewed for free through Sunday as part of our Food Justice Film Festival.

Department of Justice Takes on Texas Abortion Ban

The most restrictive abortion law in the country went into effect in Texas on Sept. 1 after the Supreme Court chose not to intervene. The law bans abortions after six weeks of gestation — before many people even know they’re pregnant — without any exceptions for rape or incest. It’s an extraordinary attack on human rights, allowing private citizens to sue an abortion provider or anyone who aids the abortion, even if they have no connection to the pregnant person. Texas effectively put a $10,000 bounty on people trying to obtain abortion services.

The Department of Justice has now asked a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order to block the law while a suit brought by the Biden administration against the state of Texas plays out in court. The administration calls the law “open defiance of the Constitution.” The Center supports the right to abortion as an essential part of reproductive healthcare.

Here’s one thing you can do: Tell Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would protect the right of people across the United States to access abortion care.

Speak Up for Healthy School Food

Nearly 30 million school meals are served to U.S. children every day. For many, those meals are their primary source of nutrition. Yet school menus are stacked with meat- and dairy-heavy foods that are bad for both the children and the planet. Demand for plant-based meals is growing among students for cultural, religious, ethical and health reasons. But a recent analysis found that only 4% of entrees in California school lunches are plant-based — and most of those were variations of pre-packaged peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Watch this video to learn more about why healthy, sustainable school menus are so important and how students can help speak up for better menus. You can also urge your representatives to support the Healthy Future Students and Earth Act, which would provide grants to school districts to offer plant-based meals.

The Shared Stigma of the Child-Free Lifestyle

This is World Childless Week, founded to raise awareness of the “childless not by choice” community and support those who want to be parents but are unable to be. In recognition of the event, Vanity Fair interviewed couples who don’t have children, whether by choice or not. While there are many differences between those who are unable to have children and those who choose to be child-free, the two groups face common stigmas in a world where parenthood is still considered the default.

Read the interviews to learn more about the diverse experiences of the child-free community and where to find support if you feel stigmatized.

Here’s one thing you can do: Help reduce the stigma around family planning choices on children, contraception, and sex ed by sharing your story as part of our Contraception Conversations series. Fill out this form and we’ll be in touch.

EPA to Update Slaughterhouse Pollution Standards

The slaughter industry is the largest source of nutrient pollution discharge in the country, yet slaughterhouses have been allowed to pour nitrogen, phosphorous and other pollutants into waterways using outdated or nonexistent treatment technologies. The Environmental Protection Agency reported that 74% of slaughterhouses that discharge pollution directly into rivers and streams are within one mile of under-resourced communities, low-income communities or communities of color.

In response to a lawsuit by community and conservation organizations including the Center, the EPA announced that it would finally modernize water-pollution standards for meat and poultry processing plants, including slaughterhouses.

Here’s one thing you can do: In addition to holding existing meat and dairy producers responsible for their pollution, we need a moratorium on new factory farms. Urge your members of Congress to support the Farm System Reform Act.

The Latest Fashion Trend: Sustainable Menus

This year’s Met Gala served up an entirely plant-based menu created by 10 up-and-coming chefs. Marcus Samuelsson, the chef and restauranteur tasked with overseeing the event’s food, recognized that sustainable food is in fashion. “We thought it was important to really talk about what’s present, what’s happening — how food is changing in America,” Samuelsson said. “We want to be the future of American food, of plant-based food. That conversation is happening now.”

In 2020 sustainable menus swept the Hollywood award shows with the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards and several Oscar events serving up plant-based meals. We hope the Met Gala’s decision will help the fashion industry follow suit. Adopting plant-based menus is a positive first step for an industry that’s increasingly interested in sustainability but, with a reliance on materials like leather and wool, still lags in recognizing the impact of animal agriculture on the planet.

Wildlife Spotlight: Pyramid Pigtoe Mussel

Across the U.S. Southeast, freshwater mussels like the pyramid pigtoe mussel are the unsung heroes of rivers. They improve water quality for humans and other animals by filtering algae, bacteria and dead matter out of the water. And their shells stabilize river bottoms and provide homes for other critters.

There used to be 151 known populations of pyramid pigtoes, but today there are only 35. These mussels have faced a variety of threats, including industrial collection of their shells to make buttons, damming of rivers, and pollution from suburban development. After more than a decade of advocacy by the Center and allies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finally proposed to protect the pyramid pigtoe under the Endangered Species Act.

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Photo credits: Woman in hat via Canva; The Ants & the Grasshopper screenshot; U.S. Department of Justice headquarters by Coolcaesar/Wikimedia; birth-control pills via Unsplash; polluted runoff courtesy USDA; menu by Alem Sánchez/Pexels; pyramid pigtoe mussel by Matthew Patterson/USFWS.

Center for Biological Diversity
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