Change the seating at the policy table

Arnell Hinkle

Arnell Hinkle is the Executive Director of the California Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program and works on increasing access to Good Food in low-income communities of color.

Fresh Ideas

Too often the people that are most affected by a condition are left out of the policy conversations designed to improve the issue. This is true for health disparities, and it is also true for creating a sustainable, just food supply. Next time you are in a room where proposed solutions for addressing the inequities of our current food system are being developed, look around. Who’s at the table? Who isn’t?

Think beyond the usual suspects: dialogue with a community resident, talk to a farm worker, ask a young person, get the opinions of those who suffer the most health consequences from our food system. The people most impacted by the problem often have the most creative solutions.