There’s a lot of power in food and food systems. This episode explores the centralization of that power, particularly the ways in which corporations and governments operate and control spaces of production and transformation. The issue of Canadian Food Studies in focus is Vol. 2, No. 2 (2015), including its subsection, “Financialization in the Food System,” which our guest, Jennifer Clapp, co–guest edited. Alexia Moyer shares learnings from Brian Brett’s book, Trauma Farm, and PhD student Heidi Janes responds to a selection of CFS articles about corporate power.

Guests:

Alexia Moyer is co-Managing Editor of Canadian Food Studies and a founding member of the editorial collective, red line-ligne rouge, based in Montreal.

Jennifer Clapp is a Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and Sustainability at the University of Waterloo. She is a member of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems as well as the Scientific Advisory Committee of the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub.

Heidi Janes is a PhD student in Political Science at the University of Victoria, where she researches corporate power in the food system and how philanthropic and humanitarian logics play roles in the political economy.

Mentioned in this episode:

Food by Jennifer Clapp

Titans of Industrial Agriculture by Jennifer Clapp

IPES-Food "Land Squeeze" Report

“Watt” on Wikipedia

Credits:

Host/Producer: David Szanto

Executive Producers: Rachel Engler-Stringer, Laurence Godin, Charles Levkoe, Phil Loring, Kristen Lowitt

Music: Alex Guz and Evgeny Bardyuzha and freesound_community on Pixabay

Sound Effects: Aviana_Phoenix and BenKirb on Pixabay

Image: Johnson Martin on Pixabay

#DigestingFoodStudies

Digesting Food Studies is funded in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Lakehead University, and the Canadian Association for Food Studies.

Bringing food to school from home implicates a lot of issues: logistics, taste, temperature control, shame, pride, and carrying devices. This episode unpacks the packed lunch, in particular those that the kids of first-generation immigrants bring to school. Two articles from Canadian Food Studies are covered, both co-written by Yukari Seko, “Unboxing the bento box” (Vol. 8, No. 3) and “Feeding children while Asian” (Vol. 12, No. 2).

Guests:

Alexia Moyer is co-Managing Editor of Canadian Food Studies and a founding member of the editorial collective, red line-ligne rouge, based in Montreal.

Yukari Seko is an Associate Professor in the School of Professional Communication at Toronto Metropolitan University, and Director of TMU’s Centre for Studies in Food Security.

Shay Quinn is a PhD student in Community and Population Health Sciences at the University of Saskatchewan who examines how Indigenous youth express ideas about traditional foodways.

Mentioned in this episode:

- The Lunchbox (film written and directed by Ritesh Batra)

- Canada’s School Food Program

- The Miner’s Lunchbox, designed by Leo May

Credits:

Host/Producer: David Szanto

Executive Producers: Rachel Engler-Stringer, Laurence Godin, Charles Levkoe, Phil Loring, Kristen Lowitt

Music: Alex Guz and Evgeny Bardyuzha from Pixabay

Additional music: Saseendran VV on Pixabay

Sound Effects: Aviana_Phoenix and BenKirb on Pixabay

Image: David Szanto

#DigestingFoodStudies

Digesting Food Studies is funded in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Lakehead University, and the Canadian Association for Food Studies.

Feminist studies and food studies have a fascinating history of difference, alignment, and emergence. This episode covers some of that span, from rice pudding (without eggs) to an issue of Canadian Food Studies (Vol. 5 No. 1) that is dedicated to feminist food studies. Lots of voices this week, including two different student reading responses!

Guests:

Alexia Moyer is co-Managing Editor of Canadian Food Studies and a founding member of the editorial collective, red line-ligne rouge, based in Montreal.

Jennifer Brady is an Associate Professor at Acadia University, cross-appointed to Women's and Gender Studies and the School of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Barbara Parker is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Lakehead University, researching food and gender, critical dietetics, food pedagogy, and the school food environment.

Elaine Power is a Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University and is currently researching arts-based knowledge mobilization in relation to food insecurity.

Liz Lovell is a Community Food Systems Coordinator with the Food Action Network of Northwestern Ontario, and a recent master’s graduate from Lakehead University.

Steph Chartrand is a PhD student in Adult Education and Community Development at OISE, at the University of Toronto.

Mentioned in this episode:

- “Waste management as foodwork” by Carly Fraser and Kate Parizeau

- “Finding Formula” by Lesley Frank

- From Betty Crocker to Feminist Food Studies edited by Arlene Avakian and Barbara Haber

- The Home Cookbook (1877)

- Baking as Biography by Diane Tye

- The Practice of Everyday Life: Living and Cooking

Credits:

Host/Producer: David Szanto

Executive Producers: Rachel Engler-Stringer, Laurence Godin, Charles Levkoe, Phil Loring, Kristen Lowitt

Music: Alex Guz and Evgeny Bardyuzha on Pixabay

Sound Effects: Aviana_Phoenix, BenKirb, and freesound_community on Pixabay

Image: OpenClipart-Vectors on Pixabay

#DigestingFoodStudies

Digesting Food Studies is funded in part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Lakehead University, and the Canadian Association for Food Studies.