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+1 941-306-1146 United States, Sarasota (Toll); Conference ID: 848 871 286#
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Special Florida Food Forum:
COVID-19 Impacts on the Florida Food System
Join us from 12-1pm (EDT) on Friday, May 15th, for a special session of the Florida Food Forum on "COVID-19 Impacts on the Florida Food System."
Description: Join FLFPC Board Member, Dell deChant, as he hosts an interactive panel discussion with Jaime Castoro, Market Manager at PATCH Market Garden, Nadia Clarke, Assistant Director of Broward County Public Schools Office of Family and Community Engagement, and Jeff Wright, Owner of Wright’s Natural Market.
Host Bio: Dell deChant is Board Member of the Florida Food Policy Council, Associate Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of South Florida, author of four books and numerous articles. Research foci: Agrarianism and Food Sovereignty. He is Chair of the New Port Richey Environmental Committee and Convener of the USF Food Sovereignty Group.
Panelist Bios:
Jaime Castoro is the current manager of Dania Beach PATCH located in Southwest Florida. Jaime has worked in various capacities with the Dania Beach PATCH and Broward Regional Health Planning Council since 2014 to strengthen fresh food availability to low access communities across Broward county.
Nadia Clarke joined Broward County Public Schools in February 2016 as the district’s Assistant Director for the office of Family and Community Engagement (FACE). Nadia brought with her over 20 years of experience in community engagement, leadership, out-of-school time program development and management serving under-resourced communities. Under Nadia’s leadership, the office engages families and the community in support of healthy schools through the implementation of research-based strategies and programming. Nadia’s core belief in the power of community led to Broward Schools’ first emancipatory research project, the Community Equity Project (CEP) for the Boyd Anderson and Dillard Zones. The goal for this project is to engage the community as a full partner in creating and implementing an action plan addressing the needs of families while supporting the academic outcomes for students.
Jeff Wright has over 26 years of experience in organic grocery and health alternative retailing. Jeff and his wife Kathy are co-owner/operators of Wright’s Natural Market for 26 1/2 years. As certified nutritionist, they teach the community about healthy organic lifestyles. Jeff currently is the chair of Pasco County Food Policy Advisory Council (FPAC). He has been involved in industry trade associations for 25 years serving on regional and national board of directors for Natural Products Association and as past President of the Natural Products Association, and past president of Southeast region. Wright’s Natural Market is located in the downtown district of New Port Richey (a designated food desert). A very important part of the move is to help create a food distribution channel or hub helping local farmers and artisans get their products to market other than farmers markets i.e. natural foods store, and restaurants.
Florida Food Policy Council’s Food Forum Special Edition: The Coronavirus Pandemic and Impacts on Florida Foodways
In urban centers around America, grocery stores are facing shortages of basic commodities – meat, eggs, milk, pasta, canned vegetables and soups. Shelves are empty in some stores, and not just in the paper aisles but food aisles as well. Food insecurity has increased, exacerbated by economic inequalities and driven even harder by the collapse of the service sector. Long and lengthening lines at foodbanks are leading to shortages there as well. Ironically, in the midst of this food crisis, farmers are plowing under crops, dumping milk and eggs, and laying off workers.
Why is this happening? Those who have been researching America’s foodways have long been aware of the liabilities of the contemporary food system. This special edition of the Florida Food Policy Council’s Food Forum considers the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on Florida’s foodways. The forum features three leaders, each familiar with a distinct element of Florida’s food system – a grower, a distributor, and a market owner.
Here are three articles for background reading in preparation for this special edition of the Council’s Food Forum:
The Coronavirus Reveals The 'Invisible Inequalities' In Our Food System, Huff Post
Farmers plowing under crops, dumping milk, New York Times
What the Coronavirus means for Food Insecurity, The Hill
Disclaimer: The views of the presenters do not represent the views of the Florida Food Policy Council. We are a forum for the offering and sharing of information and encourage diversity and communication within the food system.