NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2009
PRESS CONTACTS:
Steven Chlapecka—schlapecka@ppionline.org, T: 202.525.3931
or Lori Azim—lori.azim@gmail.com, T: 718.362.0473
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Americans facing and living with hunger is on the rise. In 2008, 49 million Americans struggled to find adequate and affordable food in the United States. Good Food, Good Jobs: Turning Food Deserts into Jobs Oases, a new policy report authored by Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and former U.S. Department of Agriculture coordinator for community food security, proposes the creation of a food and jobs program to fight hunger, foster economic growth, and bolster employment.
Download the full policy report here.
“Our hunger, malnutrition, obesity and poverty problems are closely linked,” writes Berg. “A Good Food, Good Jobs program can address these intertwined economic and social problems, and help the Obama administration meet two of its top goals: job creation and improving nutrition.”
By creating a Good Food, Good Jobs program, the author argues the government could solve a number of very tangible problems, while fusing the growing public interest in food issues with ongoing efforts to fight poverty at the grassroots level. Berg’s paper builds upon the brief discussion of community food security work in his book, published last year, titled All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America?
Download the full policy report here.
For more information or to speak with the author, contact Steven Chlapecka, schlapecka@ppionline.org, 202.525.3931or Lori Azim, lori.azim@gmail.com, 718.362.0473.
###
The three keys listed in the report are an important mantra for people who want to pursue this agenda with policymakers. In order to have good nutrition food must be affordable, available and there must be enough education of good eating habits. Once you sell that, you can have a discussion about the policy steps that can help get us there.
[...] Director Joel Berg in a recent policy paper published by a Washington, DC-based think tank: http://www.progressivefix.com/ppi-releases-policy-report-on-food-jobs-and-hunger The President’s proposal calls for “nurturing local and regional food systems and expanding [...]