FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Searching for a sponsor for National Food Day 2012

By: Jasmyn Elliott/Columnist

Even foodies have an activist streak.

National Food Day 2011 brought parents, students and food professionals together on Oct. 24. The object: rallying for sustainable food in schools. Although many college campuses held events marking the occasion, our University was largely silent.

I am going to give the University the benefit of the doubt; after all, this is a fairly new development in foodie activism. In reality, our campus would be the perfect place to raise awareness and push for the availability of sustainable foods on campus.

All too often, even in The Beacon, students complain about the lack of organic and sustainable food options on campus. Furthermore, Food Day supporters lament the overall lack of support for organic farming and the over-abundance of junk food on our dinner plates. By supporting Food Day, our University could join our community in the fight for better food.

Most notably, the University’s Agroecology Program would be the prime sponsor for a Food Day event. The program could use a Food Day event to help teach students throughout the University how the delicate balance between farming practices and urban development affects food on campus, including our community, and show students how they could get involved and help improve local farming practices. Such an event would also result in publicity and increased student enrollment for the program itself.

In addition, our University is host to several clubs, initiatives and events that already tout the importance of eco-friendly food. For example, the University’s Garden Club tends the People’s Garden, which uses organic methods to grow its produce.

Furthermore, every Wednesday afternoon, students and faculty swarm the library overpass to partake in Organic Farmer’s Market, sponsored by the Stempel Public Health Association and the Wellness Center, where sustainable food and eco-friendly items of all sorts are sold. Any one of these would be the perfect sponsors for a campus-wide Food Day event.

Our School of Hospitality and Tourism Management would be another department that would be an asset to a Food Day event. In the recent past, the school has hosted many events.

FIU’s professors and students could host seminars on how sustainable foods fit into the hospitality industry. Recipe demonstrations and samples would not hurt, either, as students and free food tend to equal success.

With all of these resources, it seems impossible for a Food Day event to be nothing but a success for the University. Thankfully, we have a whole year to plan for Food Day 2012.

Food for Thought is a bi weekly food review column. Look for it every other Friday this fall.