What We Serve Matters

The Power of Communities and Institutions to Shape our Food System

In an article published by Sentient Media last week, I was interviewed about the forces driving global dietary change. Here’s what I said: 

Excerpt from “These Countries Eat the Least Meat, and Here’s What We Can Learn From Them” by Seth Millstein

Nudges like the Plant-Based Default “bypass the false dichotomy of individual versus government intervention when it comes to our food system,” Channin says, and offer a way to change dietary behavior on a macro level with minimal disruption to the status quo…

“In a food system where corporations have a tremendous amount of power in our government, and where individuals face impossible choices at the grocery store, the power of medium -sized entities — whether a business, a local government, or another kind of university or community entity — is actually one of the most powerful places to create change,” Channin says.

I was glad Seth highlighted the quote above, because I believe it’s essential right now to remember that we still have the power to shape our food system. 

We’re in a moment when people in the U.S. and globally are being disempowered at the ballot box and fragmented and isolated on social media. It is a discouraging time for those devoted to creating a better food system who have been taught that changing our food system is either through political or individual purchasing power. However, there is another way we have power to create social change, one that is often overlooked despite (or perhaps because of) its pervasiveness in our lives: the decisions made by communities and institutions. 

The Institutional Food Opportunity

Communities and institutions are especially powerful in our food system. In the U.S., more than 50% of meals are eaten outside of the home (FAFH: food prepared away from home), where food service operators shape our food and drink choices. This includes food and drinks served in cafeterias, healthcare facilities, schools, faith-based organizations, restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, sports venues, and events. Very few values are more universal than giving our communities access to nutritious, delicious food that is responsibly and ethically produced. Dining directors, caterers, and chefs tell us that this value—caring for their community and customers through food—is what animates their pride in their work.

When dining directors, caterers, and chefs hear this value—caring for their community and customers through food— it enlivens their pride in their work.

The Growing Plant-Centered Consensus

Every day, we witness a growing consensus that a plant-centered food system is the best way to meet our communities’ needs. While the animal agriculture industry attempts to prevent this change through government lobbying and targeted marketing, their influence has limits. Food culture is shaped in communities, and what we serve each other has more impact on shaping food norms than policies or ads.  

Reclaiming Traditional Influence

Better Food Foundation and our partners are building a movement to help community food service leaders leverage one of the world’s most traditional forms of influence—the power of serving people—to create a plant-centered food system that is better for everyone.