People's Books Cooperative

Co-op Discussion Group: Food Access, Food Justice

As the Wisconsin state legislature prepares to discuss restricting access of certain foods for Wisconsin residents who use FoodShare, the discussion of access to food is as important as ever. In this meeting, we’ll be discussing questions pertinent to food access and food justice.

*What is the new FoodShare reform legislation, and what does it mean for Wisconsinites?
*What does food justice mean? How do issues of race, class, gender and immigration status effect access to food?
*What are food deserts? Do they effect food access, health and human behavior?
*Can we work towards a just food distribution system? How can we make meaningful changes in food access and food justice?

Due to the variety of questions posed, there will not be a single reading for this discussion. Listed below are a number of articles and reports that can help inform our discussion. If you don’t have time to look at these articles, no problem! A summary will be posted just before the discussion.

Where: People’s Books Cooperative
804 E. Center St.
When: May 28th, 6pm.

RWCP Education Committee

On proposed FoodShare reform legislation

Food Access Research Atlas (helpful for locating food deserts)

Do food deserts effect obesity?

From ColorLines, a report on foodstamps and poverty

Please feel free to recommend further readings germane to this discussion!