Texas' prevalence of food insecurity is above the U.S. average, according to 2013-15 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Food insecurity" means that at some point in a year, someone in a household went hungry because the household couldn’t afford food.
SA Tomorrow's Sustainability Plan includes a Food System Focus Area with a vision for all San Antonians to benefit from a thriving food system that is accessible, secure, nutritious and affordable.
A "food system" refers to the path that food travels from field to fork - all processes and infrastructure involved in feeding a population: growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consumption and disposal of food and food-related items.
How healthy and sustainable is San Antonio's food system? What can be done to boost local, healthy food production and consumption? How can we eliminate food deserts in the city?
From farmers markets to backyard gardens, what can public policies and outreach efforts do to help more people eat healthy and beat food insecurity?
Guests:
- Doug Melnick, chief sustainability officer for the City of San Antonio
- Eric Cooper, president & CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank
- Mitch Hagney, president of the The Food Policy Council of San Antonio
Here is one way San Antonio's younger citizens can learn about food systems.