Episode 66: How Food Policy Can Prevent People from Going Hungry
About the Podcast
Bailey Mennona is an aspiring anti-hunger & weight-inclusive dietitian-to-be with a passion for food policy and sustainable food systems. Clancy and Bailey discuss the importance of sound policy, understanding privilege, and how combining the two can have the most impact.
About Bailey Mennona
Bailey Mennona is an aspiring anti-hunger & weight-inclusive dietitian-to-be with a passion for food policy and sustainable food systems. She has a master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems and a bachelor’s in Nutrition and Foods. She’s currently starting a food policy council in Virginia Beach, Virginia called Tidewater Food Alliance. She is also finishing courses at the University of Alabama to become a registered dietitian. Bailey is a mom of two (with another baby due early in August) and a military spouse.
Discussion Takeaways
- Bailey has a Master’s in sustainable food systems and is working toward her Registered Dietitian Nutritionist credentials. With this background, she wants to focus on food access, social justice, and local food systems.
- Bailey speaks about “senior vouchers”. They’re the form payment used for the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) which provides low-income seniors with access to locally grown fruits, vegetables, honey and herbs at farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community supported agricultural programs.
- Sometimes, it’s hard incentivize local governments and farmers to be a part of the SFMNP for a lot of different reasons. Often, there is stigma surrounding the people who utilize these supports. There is also a lag time before farmers get reimbursed for accepting vouchers from these programs.
- Bailey is in charge of the Tidewater Food Alliance. She founded this organization to connect a fragmented food system and breakdown silos in the agricultural and nutrition sectors. She believes that relieving hunger is not a charity, it’s the responsibility of everyone.
- We need to change our idea that providing healthy, fresh, food for everyone is an act of charity to a more comprehensive, sustainable model that everyone contributes to.
Giving people food through food programs, like food pantries, is not a solution but a step in the right direction. All the things contributing to hunger are complicated.
A lot of health professionals have what we call “blind privilege”, and they provide advice based on their experience. Their perspective could unintendedly negate racial or socioeconomic inequality that they’re patients are facing.
#1 tip to improve access to healthy food
As a society, we need to look at systems like regions, cities, and statewide approaches to adjust and adopt food policy to make the biggest impact on our food system
Each week on the Food Dignity® Podcast, the Food Dignity® Movement's Clancy Harrison hosts a wide variety of hunger experts and other people making changes on the frontlines. Join us as we dive deep into conversations that will change the way you think about food insecurity.
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