396. Mark Bittman on Demonstrating that Viable Food Systems Solutions Are Possible
Sep 28, 2023
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Mark Bittman, Author of 30 books and the Editor-in-Chief of The Bittman Project, discusses the importance of national policy for good food, his Community Kitchen project, and the need to build new models to demonstrate a better food system.
Changing the food supply is crucial to combat chronic disease by making real, healthy food available to everyone.
Transforming the food system requires policy changes to support the production of nutritious food and ensure access for all.
Deep dives
The Link Between Ultra-Processed Food and Human Health
Mark Bitman discusses the alarming statistic that 65% of calories come from ultra-processed food, emphasizing the importance of changing the food supply to make real, healthy food available to everybody. He highlights how the driver for chronic disease and early deaths is diet, and emphasizes the need to prioritize eating real food and stop blaming individuals for their food choices.
The Need for Policy Changes in Agriculture
Bitman emphasizes that changing individual behavior alone is not enough to transform the food system. He argues for the importance of policies that favor better food supply, citing the need for agricultural policy changes to move away from subsidizing ultra-processed foods and instead support the production of real, nutritious food. He also highlights the lack of progress in US agricultural policies and calls for a national policy statement that ensures access to nutritious food for all.
The Community Kitchen Project
Bitman shares his latest project, Community Kitchen, a non-profit restaurant model that aims to demonstrate a comprehensive solution to the food system's challenges. This project focuses on responsible sourcing, fair labor practices, providing high-quality and accessible food, and implementing a sliding-scale pricing system. Bitman highlights the importance of funding and community involvement to make this initiative successful and emphasizes the potential of similar models to inspire political change and transform the overall food system.
As part of Food Tank’s recent Summit in New York, journalist Deena Shanker of Bloomberg sat down with Mark Bittman the author of 30 books and the Editor-in-Chief of The Bittman Project. They discuss the importance of national policy that states that everybody has the right to good food; Bittmans’ Community Kitchen project, which aims to serve delicious, affordable, nutritious food to eaters in a way that benefits the food chain workers and the planet; and why it’s critical to build new models to show what the food system could look like if things were done right.
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