Happy Friday, and welcome to Food Fix! I’m José Andrés. I’m so honored to be here today, talking to you all – so before we start, thank you, Helena, for asking me to write for Food Fix and congratulations on the baby!
While I’m here: If you want to follow more of my work, including food storytelling, recipes, and more, check out Longer Tables on Substack!
Let’s get to it –
José
***
Shaking up the food system from the outside
I have to tell you, I see many problems with how this country talks and thinks about food. I think of the world in systems – everything is interconnected, and every decision that’s made in one place has an effect many miles away.
This is especially the case with our food system – we can’t look at one piece of it without considering how it will affect the entire thing. Just think about the events of the last few years. A global pandemic leads to major supply-chain issues worldwide, with consequences none of us could have predicted – and ramifications we’re still seeing. A brutal war waged by Russia in Ukraine disrupts a major global breadbasket, leading to millions more people around the globe not having enough to eat. Or even more locally, the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge impacted trade in and out of Baltimore, a key port for the export of sugar – potentially disrupting the global sugar trade.
Unfortunately, the way the U.S. government handles food means we’ll never be able to adequately prepare ourselves for events like these, because we don’t have enough coordination. The public health people aren’t talking enough to the national security people … the food safety people aren’t talking enough to the sustainable agriculture people … the crop breeders aren’t talking enough to the nutrition people … the immigration experts aren’t talking enough to the farmworkers. And of course, we’ll never get ourselves far enough ahead on combatting the effects of climate change if we’re not bringing together our top people in climate science, agriculture, but also in urban farming, nutrition and beyond. We don’t treat food like a high-level priority. Instead, we leave it siloed across so many agencies and leaders in Washington.
This is why I’ve been vocal about this idea of a National Food Agency – if we have a place for these conversations to happen, we’ll be in much better shape to face the future. With a secretary of food, or a national security advisor on food, we would be able to face threats and uncertainties with far better decision-making and resourcing. (We currently have an Agriculture Secretary in the cabinet, and this position is important, but it’s just one piece of the government pie. FDA, for example, oversees 80 percent of the U.S. food supply and isn’t cabinet-level.) If we’re spending $14 billion dollars (2023) on border patrol, and less than $9 billion dollars supporting the World Food Program, we need someone in charge to see how those two line-items are intimately related: Many of the migrants showing up at the border are fleeing places with unstable food supplies. We could be spending less on both – and instead making smart investments in the farmers of the world – if we were just talking to each other!
One moment that brought me hope was the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, back in September 2022. There were a lot of really brilliant people in the room, and I was appreciative of President Joe Biden for convening the first food-related White House conference since 1969. It helped me believe that maybe we can start thinking more systemically about these issues.
And I’ve been proud of my role as co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition. Basketball star Elena Delle Donne and I, along with the other members of the council, are dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles, physical activity and nutritious eating. We are trying to take a holistic approach – employing amazing initiatives like partnering with major sports leagues and players unions to join the fight.
These are examples of how coordination happens across the whole government and stakeholders – clearly it can work.
But we’re nowhere closer to a national food agency! Even Helena wrote in Food Fix that that sort of “idealistic structure has little chance of happening …”
But people, I’m nothing if not idealistic.
So, instead of trying to change things that I have no power over, I made a move outside of government to create a space for these discussions. Last year, I announced the creation of the Global Food Institute (GFI) at the George Washington University, and I’m proud to say we are up and running today. In February, we supported the launch of a James Beard Foundation campaign to explore how climate change is affecting small, independent restaurants.
And starting with the new school year this fall, we’re creating a cross-disciplinary academic minor in Food Leadership. Thanks to a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, GFI will be offering eight new courses, with topics like culinary diplomacy, sustainable food chains, federal stakeholders in food policy, sustainable food systems, culinary medicine, food workers’ rights, modeling the food system and cultivating food justice.
And maybe the most exciting update to share about GFI is that we’ve recently hired our first executive director: Stacy Dean! So today I want to introduce you all (or probably re-introduce many of you) to Stacy. She did an amazing job leading USDA’s food and nutrition policies and programs and just came on board this Monday! I want to share this interview with her, so we can all get to know her better, what her plans are for the Institute and maybe even a few of her favorite foods.
So here we go, a few words from Stacy!
José: Stacy, I’m so happy to be talking to you, and thank you for taking time during your first week at the Global Food Institute. My first question is a hard one – why would you ever take this job?
Stacy: I’ve worked on food and policy most of my career, with a focus on evidence-based policy, serving as an honest broker and bringing forward ideas and issues that are relevant to the context in which policymakers are working. GFI feels like a place to continue that effort. I think it’s an opportunity to widen the lens on the issues I’ve been working on for a long time. Plus the idea of being at an incredible academic institution like GW … it’s a bigger set of colleagues and a community that wants to lean in and make the world a better place. GFI aspires to be a place where we can gather around the table to talk about how to make sure our neighbors are all fed well in a way that supports healthy and strong communities. These are goals I think we can all get behind. It’s the how you do it. That’s the challenge.
I know you’re on just day five of the job, but how are you feeling about it?
So far, I love being at GFI. There are so many ideas for the work we can do, lots of creativity, and excitement for connecting with communities across the globe. Food is something everybody should have and enjoy. I want food to be a source of joy and nourishment – not weaponized. And that’s something I’ve always had the real privilege to work on, so I’m glad to be doing it here at GFI.
What is it like to transition from a government role to academia?
Working at USDA was an incredible privilege and we were focused on tackling big issues – like food and nutrition security. My job was to address that through the federal feeding programs, making them stronger, making them more accessible, making them more responsive to the health needs of our participants. But here at GFI, we’re looking at the world through the lens of food. And because food, as you know better than most, is such an extraordinary connector, it puts so many things on the table. So now we have the opportunity to partner with businesses, or to work at a really micro level in individual communities on sustainable farming practices, or both. We even have the opportunity to celebrate food and culture! We were just discussing the possibility of an art exhibit or a film series that talks about why food is so important. It’s incredibly energizing to think of all the possibilities.
How can a university support food systems work?
I’m excited to be part of educating students who have an interest in and passion for food systems work. The long-term goal is to build a pipeline at GFI, training future food-systems leaders who will be in positions of power. We hope that with a GW education they care deeply about solving these big complex issues and are looking at the world through the lens of food. That’s the core goal. And I also think because of our location we have this unbelievable opportunity to convene the great thinkers of the U.S. and across the globe, and to try to take their incredible research and make it relevant for policy.
Young people have energy, curiosity and passion to tackle the big issues of our day. And at this point in my career I’m really excited about imparting knowledge, but also encouraging them as future leaders. Even though it’s summer, you can still feel the buzz from the students.
What does food mean to you personally? Did your parents cook for you growing up, and does your family have meals together?
When I think of food, I think of family. I think of eating breakfast and dinner together as a family, or my mother preparing our lunches. We had lots of gatherings with extended family around food. And that’s what we did with our kids when they were growing up.
I wouldn’t say I ate as well as members of your family probably do! And I’m not much of a great culinary artist myself, but my husband is an extraordinary cook. He’ll pick a food tradition and decide he’s going to go all in. He’ll buy a new cookbook and really get into it. One of my favorites has been the Yotam Ottolenghi cookbooks – the food is just amazing. I’m so lucky! I do have to wash a lot of dishes, but he’s truly the one that brings us together and around the table.
Do you have a comfort food?
There’s a falafel pop-up in my neighborhood every Monday, Hilana Falafel, that I love – we go every single Monday!
Okay, last question: how can the food community get involved with the Global Food Institute?
I think we should solve the most urgent problems, the things that feel really relevant and timely. But we shouldn’t make those decisions internally at GFI. We need to hear from the community – the next best idea, the next innovative solution is out there. It shouldn’t just be the table that we set ourselves and the conversations that we want to have, right? It needs to be driven from the broader community. I know there will be folks who are going to have thoughts about what are the most important and salient conversations to be having now, two years from now, or 10 years from now – that’s a big part of what universities do, they initiate and conduct research to help the next conversation.
Our doors are open to ideas and suggestions. Please get in touch.
***
What I’m excited about right now
Commander-in-Chef? Of course, everyone is talking about the big news this past weekend from the Democratic Party. We all know that Joe Biden loves ice cream, but did you know that Kamala Harris is an amazing cook? We actually cooked together on Instagram Live during the pandemic – she’s truly passionate about food and food issues.
Spain won the Euro Cup: This wasn’t exciting only because I am a proud Spaniard, but I am also a proud immigrant – and the brilliant Spanish team showed us how immigration makes us all better. With players like Lamine Yamal, whose parents came to Barcelona from Morocco and Equatorial Guinea, and Nico Williams, who grew up in Pamplona to parents from Ghana … these guys are the ones who make our hearts beat proud for Spain, for fútbol, and for the world!
Caesar Salad: Did you know that Caesar Salad was born 100 years ago in Tijuana? That’s right, it’s a Mexican salad, made by Italian immigrant Cesare Cardini when his restaurant ran out of food during a particularly busy July 4 dinner party. (Just think … in 1924, the U.S. was in the depths of the Prohibition era, so plenty of Americans were driving south of the border for a good party!) If you want a great new Caesar recipe from a friend of mine, Jamie Lee Curtis, take a look on my Substack newsletter, Longer Tables – there’s no secret ingredients, just a secret move … Jamie hugs her salad!
***
What team Food Fix is reading
Travis and Jason Kelce just released their own cereal (Food & Wine). “Superbowl Champions and brothers Travis and Jason Kelce have a new, sugary cereal hitting shelves just in time for NFL season this September, and the boxed breakfast is a familiar yet creative combo of some nostalgic favorites,” writes Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner. “After enthusiastically discussing their top five cereals on their popular podcast ‘New Heights’ last year, General Mills, purveyors of some of the Kelces’ favorite munchies, partnered with the brothers to create a special combo box for consumers, the Kelce Mix Cereal.”
Microplastics and nanoplastics in foods (FDA). The Food and Drug administration has launched a new landing page to discuss growing concerns about microplastics in the food supply. It states: “While many studies have reported the presence of microplastics in several foods, including salt, seafood, sugar, beer, bottled water, honey, milk and tea, current scientific evidence does not demonstrate that the levels of microplastics or nanoplastics detected in foods pose a risk to human health. Additionally, because there are no standardized methods for how to detect, quantify or characterize microplastics and nanoplastics, many of the scientific studies have used methods of variable, questionable and/or limited accuracy and specificity. The FDA continues to monitor the research on microplastics and nanoplastics.”
The Biden administration says its trade policy puts people over corporations. Documents on baby formula show otherwise. (ProPublica). “The Biden administration has quietly pushed more than a half-dozen countries to weaken, delay or rethink baby formula regulations aimed at protecting the public’s health – sometimes after manufacturers complained, a ProPublica investigation has found,” reports Heather Vogell. “In the European Union, the U.S. opposed an effort to reduce lead levels in baby formula. In Taiwan, it sought to alter labeling that highlighted the health benefits of breastfeeding. And in Colombia, it questioned an attempt to limit microbiological contaminants – the very problem that shut down a manufacturing plant in Michigan in 2022, leading to a widespread formula shortage.”
Bill aims to create new federal food administration that would take FDA’s food responsibilities (Food Safety Magazine). On Tuesday, “U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Chair of the House Appropriations Committee Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) introduced legislation that would create an entirely original, independent federal food agency. If passed, the Federal Food Administration Act would remove responsibility for overseeing the U.S. food supply from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and give it to a newly created Federal Food Administration.”
The world falls behind goal to end hunger (Wall Street Journal). “An estimated 582 million people worldwide will be chronically undernourished by 2030, leaving the world far behind a United Nations goal of ending global hunger by the end of the decade, according to an assessment by U.N. agencies,” H. Claire Brown reports. “The assessment released Wednesday warns of a setback in the zero-hunger objective outlined in the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals adopted by member countries in 2015.”
***
Upgrade today to get more from Food Fix
Become a paid subscriber to unlock access to two newsletters each week, packed with insight, analysis and exclusive reporting on what’s happening in food, in Washington and beyond. You’ll also get full access to the Food Fix archive – a great way to get smart on all things food policy.
Expense it: Hey, it’s worth asking! Most paid subscribers expense their subscriptions through work. We also offer discounts for government, academia and students. See our subscription options. Individuals who participate in SNAP or other federal nutrition programs qualify for a free Food Fix subscription – just email info@foodfix.co.
Get the Friday newsletter: If someone forwarded you this email, sign yourself up for the free Friday edition of Food Fix. You can also follow Food Fix on X and LinkedIn.
The regular author of Food Fix, Helena Bottemiller Evich, is out on maternity leave. Food Fix will feature a series of guest writers through July. Send feedback and story ideas to editorial assistant Lauren Ng at lauren@foodfix.co.
See you next week!
