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Occupy Wall Street: What’s food got to do with it?
Posted on Sat, October 08, 2011 by Slow Food USA
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What began with an encampment of makeshift cardboard tents and an impromptu sidewalk gallery of protest signs has exploded into a movement that’s spawning sister protests nationwide. But as numbers grow, so do logistical challenges: how do you feed a crowd of 20,000?
At the cafeteria-style “kitchen” in Zuccotti Square (the OWS base camp), plates of donated food are doled out by a rotating cast of volunteers, including trained chefs (the overwhelming quantity of donated food has organizers scrambling to donate to local shelters, ensuring nothing is wasted.) Operating on 100% food donations means the kitchen team has to improvise based on what’s at hand, and prepare any hot meals at apartments or kitchen space in the neighborhood. However improvised, the kitchen supports the values of the activists: food scraps go into a compost bin, and dishwater passes through a filter to be reused.
And good, clean, and fair food IS a value of the activists. But what does it have to do with Wall Street? Food justice writer and activist Jan Poppendeick says the connection is corporate control of agriculture. The statistics are staggering (90% of the corn market is dominated by 3 companies, for example) and the resulting degradation of human health and the environment endangers our health, and the future health of our food supply. Reclaiming control of the food system from corporate entities is one of the written tenets of the OWS declaration: “[corporations] have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.” Another tenet speaks to animal cruelty inflicted by the common industrial practice of confining animals into tight quarters with abhorrent conditions.
Does eating the fast food pizza that comes in through donations undermine their critique? Some say yes, and choose to wait out mealtimes until food arrives that’s in line with their values. Others say it’s worth it to make an exception about what’s on your plate today, in order to transform the menus of tomorrow. Food activist Christina Schiavoni of WhyHunger, who distributed farmers market veggies as she marched, said that she would love to see more local, sustainable, or organic options available in the kitchen, but noted that the food served is “representative of the current situation. There is no simple way to get fresh, healthy foods down there.”
Some committed individuals and organizations have begun to change that. Kitchen volunteers are seeing more donations have come from farmers markets, and even farmers themselves. Ken Jaffe, the owner of Slope Farms Beef and a US Terra Madre delegate, hopes to be part of that change, offering to come down from the Catskills with his grass-fed ground beef in tow. Jaffe doesn’t just want to give away his meat. He is making connections between OWS and rural issues, and asserts that “there are a lot of people in rural upstate that feel very connected with what they are doing.” He does worry that the link between rural America and the concerns of OWS has yet to be clearly expressed.
With so many messages on t-shirts and banners it’s hard for any one to rise to the top, but it’s clear that food activists are present on the scene. As Sheila Salmon Nichols noted on our Facebook page, “We might not all agree on all the ideologies of OWS…however, their position on what is happening to our food system is spot-on! Hopefully, this collective energy will move our country/world in a more positive, peaceful, and sustainable direction!”
What do you think about Occupy Wall Street’s food and farming declarations? Let us know by commenting below.
Member Comments
From Cassandra on Sat, October 08, 2011
I know the weather isn’t ideal, but I would love to see the protesters create their own economy by building an organic food garden in the park.
From Anise on Sun, October 09, 2011
I’m interested how orgs like Slow Food can become involved and represent food and agriculture issues during this Occupy movement. I want to be a part of it but I want to be involved in an area where I have knowledge and am already engaged, such as through Slow Food. I’m going to contact my local organization, but would be interested in hearing comments from those who agree.
From Kevin Porter on Sun, October 09, 2011
The connection between the poor quality of the culture of food in the US and control of our food systems by extremely large companies as mentioned above is spot on. Major advertising budgets target children and adults with ads that have almost nothing to do with health, community or long term life-satisfaction. Food Inc. pointed out some of the ways that large companies are willing to directly harm small farmers - who are the best chance for renewed innovation and responsibility in agriculture - for the sake of a few more pennies profit, and increased control over farmers seeds and practices. I strongly support Occupy Wall Street for the simple reason that they are helping all of us to understand the connections between the systems we’ve created and our current reality.
From Elizabeth on Sun, October 09, 2011
I’m so glad you’re raising the issue of food in this movement. I’d love to send some of my homegrown garlic from Oregon to support occupiers in New York or elsewhere. If some network develops to collect food from farmers who want to send it, I hope you’ll keep us informed.
From Helen on Tue, October 11, 2011
Many of the rank and file dairy farmers are supportive of Occupy Wall Street. We have watched as a handful of companies have come to dominate the prices that we receive for our milk. A handful of traders control the Chicago Mercantile Exchange that sets the price of cheese that tranlates into milk price formulas. The most spectacular display of greed was in 2009 when dairy farmers were committing suicides from milk prices that dropped to $9 0r $10 for 100 pounds of milk. There are 8.6 pounds of milk in a gallon) You, the consumer, continued to pay the same in the store. Farmers were committing suicide in rural areas. The CEO of Dean Foods, the nation’s largest milk processor, took home a cool $66,000,000 that year according to Bloomberg. As markets have become more consolidated, the companies have tightened their grip on us, the average farmers. Our share of the dairy retail dollar has dropped tremendously over the past decade. The leaders of even the largest cooperatives will tell you that Walmart has big power to push us back and down in price. The biggest dairy companies in the US have just piloted an ad campaign to force the prices paid down to the farmers. Where will this all end? Thank you, Occupy Wall Street. Some of us will try to get to smaller occupy wall street demonstrations since it is hard for us to leave the cows, it is difficult to travel to big cities, but we are with you.
From matt on Tue, October 11, 2011
Hey everybody! occupy the food system on facebook… Share you actions and stories!
From matt on Tue, October 11, 2011
occupy the food system!
here is the Facebook link:
From Shivani on Wed, October 12, 2011
Everybody needs food. Especially good food. Also on Wall Street. You are right.
Might even be that peace on the world was more common if people would eat better food.
From Shivani on Wed, October 12, 2011
http://itsallaboutnonduality.blogspot.com/2011/10/way-to-mans-heart-is-through-his.html
From Sally G on Thu, October 13, 2011
I love that farmers are expressing support! I am sure that there is a protest in Oregon that will be thrilled to accept food donations, and for those wanting to get to a protest but unable to leave the animals, check out http://www.occupytogether.org; it has information on all the occupations. Small gatherings across the country, whether full-time or sporadic demonstrations help bring the message of OWS and the other large-city groups to those who cannot get there directly—important work.
I will be stopping by Zuccotti Park again on Saturday, with a bag of supplies—probably socks and baby wipes, I will see if I can find a request list on the OWS site.
From Marianne C on Sat, October 22, 2011
I’ll be honest. I do not agree with the OWS people in general. They have yet to articulate any kind of clear goal or plan, and mostly what I’m hearing is that they want to do away with capitalism, which is in direct opposition to the individual freedoms guaranteed to us in the Constitution. I happen to like capitalism but I won’t debate that here.
Having said all that, the main issue I’d like to see someone address is the genetically modified food issue. The Monsanto Company lobby is very powerful and has influenced the Fed to allow them to sell GMOs to the public without labeling them as GMOs. This would include animal products from animals who consume genetically modified grain. It would take too long to express all my concerns surrounding the proliferation of genetically modified foods but I keep hoping someone will shine a light on these people and what they’re doing to our food supply. While it’s true, Monsanto is a giant corporation devoted to making a profit, the very kind of company the OWS people are protesting against, I think that greater oversight will solve the issue without having to destroy the freedom that capitalism brings to each citizen in the process.
From FarmerGreen on Sat, October 22, 2011
Urban America turned its back on Rural America long ago. Now that things have gotten out of control, some are starting to take a interest. Too late for most of the farmers I know, my neighborhood has emptied out, they are all long gone. Many times, farmers tried to warn city folks what was happening in the countryside, but they usually replied that they didn’t want their food prices to go up, end of story. Sorry, too late, huge changes already occurred. Your parents generation fought hard for cheap food and they got it. Only the young people can try to save what’s left, but it will require talking to farmers, and I don’t mean only the politically correct farmer who spouts the buzz words you think you want to hear.
From Sally G on Sun, October 23, 2011
Marianne,
You can read the Declaration of the Occupation that was publilshed on September 29 here:
http://www.nycga.net/resources/declaration/
They are very deliberate in not stating clear goals or a plan; they work by consensus, so that they do not do anything that is not approved by all (or, more accurately, not blocked by anyone: nobody is so uncomfortable with the decision). The declaration says the following to the “people of the world”: Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.
The specific grievances in the declaration that concern food are the following:
# They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.
# They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.
REgarding labor practices, they have the following to say:
# They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.
# They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.
# They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.
These are not purely anticapitalist; they ARE against abuse of a capitalist system, as implied here:
# They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with NONE OF THE CULPABILITY or RESPONSIBILITY.
I suggest going to an Occupation in person, or clicking on a Web site (find a nearby Occupation on http://www.occupytogether); you might find more in common than you think. Let us know!
From Sally G on Sun, October 23, 2011
P.S.: Meant to point out that the emphasis was mine in the last item that I quoted from the Declaration.
Also, remember that each Occupation has its own “personality”; some groups are more radical than others, though they all work by the same basic process. As I see it, the Occupations are more about getting people out meeting face-to-face and working out strategies together than imposing any individual viewpoint/program.
From Matt Ruscigno on Mon, October 24, 2011
Great to see this on there:
# They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless animals, and actively hide these practices.
From Pete on Tue, October 25, 2011
We totally support OWS and their efforts to bring attention to the corporate takeover of our very food. The saying goes: “A country is only as healthy as its people”.
Factory farms, genetically modified foods, antibiotics, virus, vaccines in our farm animals and in plants is making Americans very, very sick and in some cases causes death.
The FDA, NIH, CDC and USDA are all controlled by corporate interests for profitable, cheap, un-natural food made in the filthiest conditions. Salmonella, ecoli are a common day event, this never happened 20 or even 10 years ago. It is now about profitable, tainted foods, not health or concern for American families. US food is disgusting today and a disgrace worldwide.
We have been researching and bring this to the public for three years now, still people are asleep, and say “oh well” what can we do? We can join Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Food and take the power back from the corporations. Monsanto is out for world food domination, and by some phony patents on seeds and an army of lobbyists, Americans have no control over the very food they feed their children everyday which is basically poison.
Russia and other countries have banned US foods, because of this, and this costs the economy and jobs. This all has to stop now! Now, before more GMO seeds infect our agriculture. Fight big corporate food makers, they only produce tainted food.
Today, the US food standards equal that of Nigeria, a far poorer country. It used to be that the US produced good quality, natural, organic foods but those days are gone.
If we don’t stop this now, more people will die, children will become sicker and the whole country is going to be a third world country sickened by food not nourishment that helps to sustain life.
Stop Monsanto, stop corporate food control and act now.
From ping123 on Thu, October 27, 2011
This is superb that scholars are getting engaged in better meals guidelines and what our meals contains. So much meat and 70-573 exam poultry contain ingredients and are developed in a way that is down right dangerous to our systems. Food brands can be inaccurate. There has to be a cause most cancers is so widespread in the USA and other locations. Being overweight is increasing and has been for a long time. Diabetes is growing even in kids at the age of 5 70-642 exam.
If our meals was specific better from dangerous ingredients, we may see a region that would consider less and many ailments being on the decrease that problem many buyers. We need to know what is in our food!
From P. Neisman, Editor on Sat, October 29, 2011
This is what Congress has passed, the new Food Safety Bill designed to put organic farmers out of business, does not address the filth in factory foods, does not increase inspections nor does it allow for shut downs of factory food manufacturers. In short, it takes the power away from people to grow food in their own gardens! What is this world coming to, basically a revolution. A revolt against corporate control of every aspect of our lives and “allowing” the poisoning of food which increases corporate profits. The end is near, of this type of madness. Read the new food bill, it will open your eyes, move yourself off the couch and demand govt fire the FDA’s former pharma executives and USDA Tom Vilsack who was a lawyer for Monsanto immediately. The New Food Safety Bill: http://www.politicolnews.com/new-fda-food-bill/
