What is Food Politics?
Food Politics is the process by which groups make decisions about food. Although the word politics often refers to activities and behavior within governments, politics is observed in all group interactions, including corporate, academic, and other social institutions.
Eating is an act with agricultural, ecological, economic, psychological, scientific, social, and moral implications. For example, food transportation significantly impacts energy consumption:
- Most food in the US travels between 1,500 and 2,000 miles before being eaten.
- The food industry uses about a fifth of the oil consumed in the US.
What are the opportunities to address the issue?
Attention to our attitudes about food production and eating can contribute to innovative strategies and reforms in the food industry as well as to personal and corporate commitments.
How is Strategic Engagement poised to assist?
Our organization can engage the multiple diverse stakeholders in exploration, discussions, planning, and decision-making about food politics. We are communication consultants with 20+ years of experience addressing divisive and complex issues through planning, leadership development, and future creation. We have facilitated industry-wide discussions on the new frontiers of issues such as
- The digital divide in Indian Country
- Offshore outsourcing of innovation
- Critical Infrastructure Protection
- Land Use Strategies in the Southwest US
How can we begin the conversation with the food industry?
We would be happy to enter this system of stakeholders in the food industry from a variety of vantage points. We can design and facilitate meetings and planning processes for a range of situations, from internal interest groups to organizational planning initiatives, to meetings between or among multiple stakeholders. We can consult on the communication dimensions of the issue, whether framing the issue, crafting strategic media choices, or managing conflict among individuals, groups, or policy options.
