January 2021  •  Issue No. 13

COVID-19 Exposed Entrenched Food System Issues. We Need a Coordinated Solution.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic pushed the U.S. food system to the brink of catastrophic collapse, exposing deeply-rooted instability, inefficiencies, and injustices. For years, food policy experts have warned that the nation's arcane and fragmented regulatory regime was ill-equipped to respond to crises. The COVID-19 pandemic proved these concerns well-founded and warranting immediate action.

A national food strategy would provide a responsive framework to identify and address the most complex issues and encourage a transition to a more equitable, efficient, and economically-resilient food system.

This fall, in partnership with Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS), we released The Urgent Call for a U.S. National Food Strategy: An Update to the Blueprint and three accompanying briefs: 1) an Executive Summary, 2) a Call for Congress to Implement a U.S. National Food Strategy, and 3) Call for the Incoming Administration to Implement a National Food Strategy. In this call to action, CAFS and FLPC advocate for an inclusive, coordinated, and long-term approach to federal food policymaking. Adopting a National Food Strategy will help to identify our policy priorities and provide opportunities for all stakeholders to influence how government should navigate the tradeoffs inherent in food policymaking. 

 

Recent News

Maximizing Food Security For Unauthorized Immigrants During COVID-19
Professor Emily Broad Leib co-authored this Health Affairs article with David Velasquez, Jordan Kondo, and Sarah Downer outlining ways to increase food security for unauthorized immigrants during the pandemic. 

Fixing the COVID Food Disaster can Slash Climate Emissions
Bloomberg published an article describing food system challenges exposed by COVID-19, and how addressing those challenges would benefit the climate. 

How COVID-19 Threatens the Safety Net for US Children
This Health Affairs article examines the challenges US children have faced amid school closures, including increased rates of food insecurity. 

Upcycled Movement Gaining Strong Momentum
Perishable News highlighted the Climate Week NYC 2020 virtual event, "Positive Climate Action Through Upcycled Foods: What Are They, How Do They Help, and Where Can I Get Some?" featuring Professor Emily Broad Leib as a panelist. 

 

The Care and Feeding of a Nation
The Harvard Gazette published a feature story on FLPC's work to transform the food system using law and policy.

We All Have a Part to Play in the War Against Food Waste
This op-ed in Al-Jazeera describes the state of food waste and loss in the U.S. and across the globe and how government, businesses, and consumers can help. 

The Law is 'Tested and Illuminated During the Pandemic'
Harvard Law Today highlighted the colloquium series co-hosted by Professors Emily Broad Leib and Martha Minow, "COVID-19 and the Law: Law and Policy to Address Basic Needs and Marginalized Populations."

Think COVID-19 Disrupted the Food Chain? Wait and See what Climate Change Will Do
Inside Climate News warns of future catastrophes without a more sustainable food system, acknowledging the difficulties that the food supply chain faced at the onset of the pandemic.

 
 

Recent Events and Publications

Congress’s New Stimulus: What’s in – and What’s out – for the Food System?

This month, FLPC published an analysis on its blog that explores how Congress's most recent COVID-19 stimulus package affects the food system. The analysis compares the stimulus' measures to FLPC's May 2020 recommendations of federal policies to support the food system and consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Skimmed: Breastfeeding, Race, and Injustice

In November, FLPC and the Harvard Food Law Society co-hosted a virtual lecture featuring Andrea Freeman, author of "Skimmed: Breastfeeding, Race, and Injustice." Professor Freeman's presentation examined the historical, cultural, and legal drivers that perpetuate Black women's use of infant formula and obstruct opportunities to breastfeed infants. 

Produce Prescriptions: A U.S. Policy Scan

In October, FLPC's staff and colleagues at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation announced the launch of Mainstreaming Produce Prescription (Rx) Programs, a new initiative to increase access to nutritious food and improve health outcomes for people with diet-related diseases. Along with the announcement, FLPC and CHLPI released initial research providing an overview of opportunities and challenges for scaling up Produce Rx in existing health care and food access programs. A broader National Produce Prescription Policy Strategy Report will be released in 2021 to provide a roadmap for action on the issue.

Food Policy for Greater Health Equity

In December, FLPC hosted the first webinar in a series of virtual sessions to discuss the most equitable and effective policy options for reducing the consumption of foods and beverages high in added sugar. This event was part of the FLPC Approaches to Reducing the Consumption of Sugar initiative, supported by Arnold Ventures. 

FLPC Emily Broad Leib speaking at the Food is Medicine Symposium

Agricultural Workers and the Pandemic: A Policy-Induced Crisis

Agricultural workers in the United States are suffering the worst of Covid-19. Meat-packing plants and labor-intensive farms are among coronavirus hotspots, with workers at these sites experiencing extraordinarily high rates of infection. In October, FLPC hosted a panel of lawyers, journalists, and organizers to examine the law and policy behind this disproportionate impact. 

Nutrition Education for Physicians and Health Professionals

In September, FLPC published two issue briefs on Nutrition Education for Physicians and Health Professionals: Policy Opportunities for New York and Policy Opportunities for Massachusetts. The New York issue brief was published in partnership with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. Both briefs outline a menu of state-level policy opportunities to systematically improve nutrition education for doctors and health professionals.

 

FLPC Announcements

 
 

Welcome to Clinical Fellow Esther Akwii

FLPC was pleased to welcome Esther Akwii as a Clinical Fellow in September. Before joining FLPC, Esther worked at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School, where she conducted research on wide-ranging food system topics and taught a course on the law and policy of local food systems. Esther received her Master of Laws in Food and Agriculture Law, with distinction from Vermont Law School in 2020. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre, a Bachelor of Laws degree from Makerere University, and a Diploma in Law from the Law Development Centre (UG).

Welcome to Clinical Fellow Joseph Beckmann

In August, FLPC was pleased to welcome Clinical Fellow Joseph Beckmann as a new member of its team. Prior to joining the clinic, Joseph provided legal services to start-ups and mid-sized businesses in the food, beverage, and agriculture industries. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Chicago in 2011, a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from the Wisconsin School of Business in 2020, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2020.

 
 
 

FLPC Alumni Spotlight

The Federal Government is Failing Communities Suffering From Food Insecurity

Ona Balkus, Food Policy Director at the D.C. Office of Planning and former FLPC Senior Clinical Fellow, wrote an article for The Appeal about the roll that government should play in addressing the root causes of food insecurity. 

From Mergers and Acquisitions to Frozen Waffles

This Wall Steet Journal article by Anne Steel highlights FLPC's former student, Emily Groden. The article describes Groden's journey to starting her own frozen waffle company. 

 

Other News

COVID-19 and the Law: Law and Policy to Address Basic Needs and Marginalized Populations
This fall, Professor Emily Broad Leib co-hosted a colloquium series with Professor Martha Minow on legal responses to COVID-19 across different areas of law. The Colloquium's website features recordings of each session as well as a blog to highlight the ways that the law is changing and adapting. Stay tuned for new posts on the blog through early 2021. 

Coming Soon

New research from The Global Food Donation Policy Atlas project
In partnership with the Global Foodbanking Network, FLPC will soon release new research on food donation laws and policies in ten countries across the world. Visit the project website to learn more.

An analysis of the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program
This month, FLPC will release a report in collaboration with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition to analyze the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program funded through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. 

Career Opportunities

 

Follow FLPC

 

The Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) serves partner organizations and communities by providing guidance on cutting-edge food system issues, while engaging law students in the practice of food law and policy. FLPC’s work focuses on increasing access to healthy foods, supporting sustainable production and regional food systems, promoting community-led food system change, and reducing waste of healthy, wholesome food. FLPC is committed to advancing a cross-sector, multi-disciplinary and inclusive approach to its work, building partnerships with academic institutions, government agencies, private sector actors, and civil society with expertise in public health, the environment, and the economy. Learn more about FLPC. 

 
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