Page 44 - Cityview_May_June_2014

think

illustration by
LOCAL POLITICS
Danny wilson

by george Korda

Food fo
or
r

Though
h
t
t

I
f you think food policy is what goals is as rare as steak tartare at a they won’t care about your program.

you decide to buy at the grocery vegetarian buffet.
Put them in and there’s a better chance
store and didn’t know there exists
groups such as the fPC tend to
you’ll be on their plate.

a Knoxville-Knox County food Policy lay claim to the grand and glorious In spring 2013, the fPC issued
Council (fPC)—you’re in a large group.
along with the practical and possible. its “Community Research findings

Chow down on this from the City
The fPC’s objectives are akin to the and Recommendations.” There are
of Knoxville website: “The Knoxville- outcomes of periodic community meaty suggestions, such as zoning for

Knox County food Policy Council “visioning” meetings, where groups urban farms and gardens, zoning to
monitors and evaluates the performance gather to create laundry-list expan- protect agricultural land, permitting

of Knoxville’s food system, in terms
sive—and often expensive—ideas on for mobile food retail and processing
of costs, availability, accessibility and flip chart pages that are then taped to a services, and more.

implications for public health/economic wall. Eventually these are refined into however, when the fPC recom-
efficiency, public awareness of food reports that may generate publicity— mends courtyard development with

issues, improvement of food supply and but most or much of what they produce shared open space, and the “City and
distribution network in Knoxville.”
typically is gently pushed aside by County should adopt complete street

The city has nearly 60 boards and policymakers responsible for deciding policies and standards that include
commissions, among them the fPC. how and where money is spent.
sidewalks, greenways, and transit

Its descriptions on the city web-
how bad is the food “problem” in amenities,” it’s biting off more than
site and knoxfood.org, the council’s Knoxville and Knox County? According the body politic is likely to chew. (To

website, are stuffed like a Thanksgiv- to the fPC, it’s a fishbone in the com- see the entire set of recommendations,
ing turkey with such terms as: social munity throat.
visit knoxfood.org).

justice, “marginalized” populations, for example, a lead item on the fPC’s The fPC has existed for going on 34
underserved, sustainability, inequality, website is titled: “Do You live in one
years. It’s entrenched and unlikely to

and urban food equity.
of Knox County’s 20 food Deserts?” A cease its work. Besides, attempting to
In an october 2012 paper describing “food desert” is defined as “areas where close out the fPC would leave govern-

the fPC, the council’s goals are listed as:
access to healthy food is difficult to ment officials open to criticism of “in-
• Minimize food-related activities that
obtain because of location and income. sensitivity.” In 21st-Century America,

degrade the natural environment; limit In 2009, the united States Department that’s a heapin’ helpin’ few politicians
wasteful resources needed for future of Agriculture (uSDA) began tracking are willing to taste.

food production and distribution
food deserts across the nation. Individu- The fPC’s effect can be summed up
• Strengthen the economic vitality of the als and families living in food deserts like this: It probably can’t hurt much,

private food industry
often have to drive long distances and/ and may help somewhere. There are a
• Improve the quality of food available or depend on public transportation to great many things in government that

to all citizens
get to a grocery store.”
can’t say as much. But the fPC would
• Encourage citizens to accept and con- According to an fPC food desert be more effective if its policies were

sume nutritious foods
map, South Knoxville is pretty much a less pie-in-the-sky and more meat
• Ensure that an adequate and nutritious food wasteland. But North, East, and and potatoes.

food supply is available to all citizens
West also have their food “deserts.”
Tasty objectives. however, a city frankly, that might be hard for most George Korda is a longtime news media political analyst and

council/county commission tandem people to swallow. But geography is the president of Korda Communications, a public relations
that could accomplish all of these
important. leave someone out, and
and communications consulting irm based in Knoxville.

42 cityviewmag.com may june 2014