Samira Kanetkar
Third Year Health Promotion Major & Women’s Studies Minor
How did I get involved with IMPACT?
I’ve always loved volunteering in my community, so when spring break rolled around freshman year, I made sure to sign up for my first IMPACT trip. While I knew I was about to experience a week of awesome service, I didn’t anticipate how much the trip would impact me. The trip taught me so much about social justice issues and myself, while also bringing me a community of like-minded, supportive friends. Two years later, I am so excited to lead my own IMPACT trip!
Why am I interested in my trip focus?
Food justice is a multifaceted topic that connects to so many other social justice issues. It is also one that affects us first hand since food is in our everyday lives. It’s important to understand how food waste, accessibility, nutrition and production affect the communities we serve.
Fun fact?
I ziplined through the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica and screamed the entire time.
Contact: sak50564@uga.edu
Third Year Health Promotion Major & Women’s Studies Minor
How did I get involved with IMPACT?
I’ve always loved volunteering in my community, so when spring break rolled around freshman year, I made sure to sign up for my first IMPACT trip. While I knew I was about to experience a week of awesome service, I didn’t anticipate how much the trip would impact me. The trip taught me so much about social justice issues and myself, while also bringing me a community of like-minded, supportive friends. Two years later, I am so excited to lead my own IMPACT trip!
Why am I interested in my trip focus?
Food justice is a multifaceted topic that connects to so many other social justice issues. It is also one that affects us first hand since food is in our everyday lives. It’s important to understand how food waste, accessibility, nutrition and production affect the communities we serve.
Fun fact?
I ziplined through the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica and screamed the entire time.
Contact: sak50564@uga.edu
Aashka Sheth
Second Year Nutrition Science Major & Spanish Minor
How did I get involved with IMPACT?
All throughout my freshman year, I heard about IMPACT from many upperclassmen, who knew that I had a passion for service and wanted me to experience an amazing trip. I wanted to spend my spring break in a meaningful way, and I am so glad that I signed up. IMPACT has allowed to find a community and helped me grow in my understanding of service and myself. My trip was eye-opening and I am so excited to help other participants have an incredible experience.
Why am I interested in my trip focus?
I became interested in Food Justice after my first IMPACT trip, when we were serving food at a shelter and I realized that they were unable to serve the most nutritious food, even though the people running the shelter were trying their best to provide what they could. After that, I was curious about food insecurity and the multiple social justice issues that relate so closely to it.
Fun fact?
I visited a glacier lagoon in Iceland and got to eat some 600 year old ice!!
Contact: aashka.sheth@uga.edu
Second Year Nutrition Science Major & Spanish Minor
How did I get involved with IMPACT?
All throughout my freshman year, I heard about IMPACT from many upperclassmen, who knew that I had a passion for service and wanted me to experience an amazing trip. I wanted to spend my spring break in a meaningful way, and I am so glad that I signed up. IMPACT has allowed to find a community and helped me grow in my understanding of service and myself. My trip was eye-opening and I am so excited to help other participants have an incredible experience.
Why am I interested in my trip focus?
I became interested in Food Justice after my first IMPACT trip, when we were serving food at a shelter and I realized that they were unable to serve the most nutritious food, even though the people running the shelter were trying their best to provide what they could. After that, I was curious about food insecurity and the multiple social justice issues that relate so closely to it.
Fun fact?
I visited a glacier lagoon in Iceland and got to eat some 600 year old ice!!
Contact: aashka.sheth@uga.edu
What is Food J ustice?
Food justice is the right of communities and individuals to grow, sell and eat healthy food. Healthy food is food that is fresh, affordable, and culturally-appropriate. Food justice strives to build a strong local food system as well as provide access to nutritious food.
KEY TERMS
Food Sovereignty- The right to healthy and nutritious food produced through sustainable methods
Food Security- The reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food (United States Department of Agriculture)
Food Desert- “Parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers.” (American Nutrition Association)
Food Insecurity- “The limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways” (USDA ERS)
Malnutrition- Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients (WHO)
SNAP- Program that offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities (USDA)
Food Bank- A non-profit organization that collects and distributes food to hunger-relief charities (Feeding America)
Organic Food- Foods grown without man-made fertilizers and pesticides or genetically modified organisms (Good Food)
Food Waste- Food that is lost, discarded and disposed that is or was at some point fit for human consumption (Repair the World)
Food Sovereignty- The right to healthy and nutritious food produced through sustainable methods
Food Security- The reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food (United States Department of Agriculture)
Food Desert- “Parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers.” (American Nutrition Association)
Food Insecurity- “The limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways” (USDA ERS)
Malnutrition- Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients (WHO)
SNAP- Program that offers nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities (USDA)
Food Bank- A non-profit organization that collects and distributes food to hunger-relief charities (Feeding America)
Organic Food- Foods grown without man-made fertilizers and pesticides or genetically modified organisms (Good Food)
Food Waste- Food that is lost, discarded and disposed that is or was at some point fit for human consumption (Repair the World)
FACTS ABOUT FOOD JUSTICE
- .U.S. consumers wasted 150,000 tons of food daily from 2007-2014, with fruits and veggies topping the list (USDA)
- In 2017, 40.0 million people lived in food-insecure households, including 65 million children
- One in three of the children in this country are on track to be diabetic in their lifetime, and for kids of color it is one in two (Food Corps)
- A child born into poverty is twice as likely to be overweight as their affluent peers (Food Corps)
- About half of all American adults—117 million individuals—have one or more preventable chronic diseases, many of which are related to poor quality eating patterns and physical inactivity. (Health.gov)
- In 2017, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program reached 42 million people, which is 13% of the total population. (CBBP)
WHAT DOES THIS ISSUE LOOK LIKE IN ATHENS?
- 1 in 5 people in Athens-Clarke County are food insecure
- 47% of Athens residents are not within walking distance of a grocery store
- 13 out of 30 of Athens census tracts are labeled as food deserts
HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?
Organizations on Campus:
UGarden
Food 2 Kids
Campus Kitchen
Lunchbox Garden Project
Real Food UGA
Local Organizations:
NEGA Food Bank
Athens Land Trust
Meals on Wheels
EDUCATIONAL LINKS:
Jamie Oliver Ted Talk: Teach every child about food
10 Facts You Might Not Know About Food Waste
Stephen Ritz and the Green Bronx Machine
When Food Banks Say No to Sugary Junk, Schools Offer a Solution
This is How Learning Gardens Grow
Sara Menker Ted Talk: A global food crisis may be less than a decade away
Americans waste 150,000 tons of food each day
Pam Warhurst Ted Talk: How we can eat our landscapes
INTERSECTIONALITY
Food Justice is related to many other social justice issues. Check out how they overlap in the links below!
Environmental Awareness
How Our Food Choices Impact the Environment
Our wasted food is a huge environmental problem - and it's only getting worse
Understanding Food Waste
Homelessness and Poverty
Food Security and Poverty - a precarious balance
Intersectional Food Politics and the Failure of SNAP Challenges
Community Health and Well-being
The Impact of Poverty, Food Insecurity, and Poor Nutrition on Health and Well-Being
The Effects of Food Insecurity on Health Outcomes and Costs
Education
Why Nutrition Should Be a Main Topic Taught in Schools
Serving Up Food Justice in Schools
Organizations on Campus:
UGarden
Food 2 Kids
Campus Kitchen
Lunchbox Garden Project
Real Food UGA
Local Organizations:
NEGA Food Bank
Athens Land Trust
Meals on Wheels
EDUCATIONAL LINKS:
Jamie Oliver Ted Talk: Teach every child about food
10 Facts You Might Not Know About Food Waste
Stephen Ritz and the Green Bronx Machine
When Food Banks Say No to Sugary Junk, Schools Offer a Solution
This is How Learning Gardens Grow
Sara Menker Ted Talk: A global food crisis may be less than a decade away
Americans waste 150,000 tons of food each day
Pam Warhurst Ted Talk: How we can eat our landscapes
INTERSECTIONALITY
Food Justice is related to many other social justice issues. Check out how they overlap in the links below!
Environmental Awareness
How Our Food Choices Impact the Environment
Our wasted food is a huge environmental problem - and it's only getting worse
Understanding Food Waste
Homelessness and Poverty
Food Security and Poverty - a precarious balance
Intersectional Food Politics and the Failure of SNAP Challenges
Community Health and Well-being
The Impact of Poverty, Food Insecurity, and Poor Nutrition on Health and Well-Being
The Effects of Food Insecurity on Health Outcomes and Costs
Education
Why Nutrition Should Be a Main Topic Taught in Schools
Serving Up Food Justice in Schools
