This is a picture of my hamburger from a couple weeks back. It is in fact a vegan burger.
Why share a picture of my plant-based burger, you might ask. Well because this picture is the perfect segway into the first policy series we will be talking about on the blog - food policy.
Now I know what you are thinking and it’s probably something to the effect of, ‘oh shit, this chick is about to get preachy and all I want to do is eat my steak and potatoes in peace.’ Before we all go clicking out of this newsletter in unison, let me be very clear - I don’t care what you put in your mouth. Your body, your consumption habits, your beef triple-patty melt with extra cheese and a side of bacon...that’s your business. I’ve been a meat-eater for most of my life, so this definitely isn’t going to be a series where I discuss some moral high-ground. And in case you need a little qualified reassurance, I am pro-consumer choice, pro-farmer, and pro-hunter...one of my closest friends is the COO of a kick-ass farm in Louisiana that operates under policies I can get behind, and another dear friend is an avid competitive bowhunter. I love people whose lifestyles and incomes are contingent on meat.
(We personally limit meat consumption because we are suspicious of the industrial farming complex, and care to eat food that is ethically sourced whenever possible. This is not a luxury everyone has, which we will talk about in depth in this series.)
This series has little to do with moral appeal, and everything to do with discussing the policies that govern the lifecycle of our food from provenance to plate...much of which specifically has to do with the farm to fork lifecycle of meat. It’s all about how food policy is structured, and how this affects small farms, agricultural competition, environmental impact, consumer choice, and marginalization of people and businesses both domestically and internationally. It’s all about how policy shapes the success and failure of food movements. It’s all about how “going vegan,” an action most people perceive as an act of protest against the industrial farming complex and in support of environmental protection, is not enough to stand up to current policy structure. We will also discuss what this says about the voting power we hold as consumers.
So why start with food policy?
It’s simple. I wanted to pick a topic that everyone can relate to. A number of future topics may present new ideas to readers, but I wanted to start with food because everyone’s gotta eat. Food, something we must all think about every day, is an excellent example of both domestic and foreign policy. It is the most relatable policy topic I could think of because for most readers, they interact with food morning, noon, and night. And because we interact with it daily, it is also easy to convey the significance of regional food insecurity as a result of food policy.
The next handful of blogs will operate as a series, one blog built on the foundation of the previous week. Here is the rough lineup for upcoming articles:
What are subsidies?
How do subsidies affect our food systems? Domestic and foreign policies as they relate to food.
What are alternative policy models for farming?
What this means for you.
How we (my small family) personally interact with the food policy systems in place.
Policies, one of the greatest forces in one's ability to self-determine are often created so quietly and successfully out of view we don’t even know they are there or how big of a role they play in our day-to-day lives. This is true for almost everything that we interact with, down to the dinner plates in front of us…so let’s make it simple, and start with policies that are related to the most basic aspects of our day to day lives. May this first policy series serve to make us all more conscious of the existing policy structures, thoughtful of the systems around us, and capable of greater self-determination.
Your Partner in Policy,
Taylor Patrice
Reading: My mom is one of those women who really likes to support and encourage the successes of other women, regardless of what success means to them. When I told her we were moving more plant-based, she immediately sent me this cook book. I have been eagerly thumbing through this as we finish eating out the remaining meat supply in our freezer. So far I am particularly excited about the buckwheat pancakes and chocolate sauce!
Eating: Finishing off the meat in our freezer. It’s been tacos on top of spaghetti on top of more tacos.
Loving: Running has been my only reprieve from the never-ending lockdown, so as weather is getting warmer, I have been enjoying that. I am very much only a fair-weather runner, so I am ready for the sun to come out more consistently.
Doing: Researching food industry policy and some background work on the site! Oh, and fussing with Apple. Turns out, it’s really hard to get electronics shipped to you overseas, even when you still have a United States address.
Last week’s post was all about foreign policy. This piece serves as the foundation for future policy pieces and is a must read for basic foreign policy comprehension. You may be thinking, “foreign policy is only important for news headlines, this doesn’t apply to me.” Foreign policy in fact plays a role in everything from war, to trade, to the clove of garlic you used to flavor the chicken sizzling on your grill.
Also, you may have noticed the site has a new menu. Keep an eye out as a few more minor things change in the coming weeks!
I’m taking you for a ride on my big green tractor…and since my metaphoric tractor model has ROPS (rollover protective structure), buckle up….we are getting started with farm to fork food policy. (Queue really terrible farm meets country music joke.)
Since I got that really awful joke out of my system, what’s coming next is basically already covered above.
+ a few more changes to the site.
At the moment, premium stuff isn’t a thing. It’s a plan for the upcoming future, but at the moment we are just trying to get ourselves settled in the rhythm of the free content + podcast. Though there is no premium content yet, we are so thankful to those of you who have already signed up for a subscription. For those of you with existing memberships, your subscription will be extended for a second year, free of charge. Your vote of confidence is life-giving to our little family, and helps us fund access to the databases we use to run this blog. No need to sign up for premium content in order to subscribe, but thank you in advance if you do! It currently helps me fund research as a small writer.
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:
Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter: @policyoutloud
Clubhouse: @taylorpatrice
See you all over the place.