Two Words and A Question Mark
Presented By Society Insurance
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By Elena Valeriote
Two words and a question mark: “Food systems?”
I have worked for enough years and in enough capacities within our food system that this simple prompt sends my mind in countless different directions. First, I think of a recent conversation in my role as a journalist with Shiloh Maples, an Anishinaabe community organizer, educator, and food justice advocate, in which she put into question the very concept of a “food system,” pushing toward more nuanced and humane terminology that better acknowledges the complex relationships between the sectors that influence our foodways.
This, in turn, reminds me of my time working in the marketing and catering departments of a small, independent grocery retailer, where I experienced this unique point of connection between production and distribution in daily discussions with farmers personally dropping off their wares and customers inquiring about the real cost of their produce.
From there, my thoughts turn, as they so often do, to farms. I recall hot summer mornings spent in a restaurant garden, harvesting shisito peppers and strawberries based on the precise number of guests expected for dinner that night. Then I think of harvesting on another scale, envisioning mountains of organic heirloom wheat loaded into a semi-truck to be transported to a mill, ground into flour and transformed into hundreds of plates of pasta.
Each of these jobs, so varied in their day-to-day responsibilities, taught me the same thing: our food systems are made up of and for people. Whatever my role working at various links along the food supply chain, my goal is always the same: to increase awareness of our potential to enact positive change through the decisions we make about what we eat.
Headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wis., Society Insurance has been a leading niche insurance carrier since 1915. As a mutual insurance company, Society focuses on the small details that make a big difference to its policyholders while offering top-notch insurance coverage, service and competitive pricing to businesses in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Tennessee, Colorado, Georgia and soon Texas.
Elena Valeriote is a food and farming writer based in Florence, Italy who specializes in sharing stories that center on sustainability and sense of place.
Opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Best Served. To achieve our mission of bringing more voices to the table, we are committed to sharing a variety of viewpoints across the industry.
