Shaping Policy of Food

     In the reading on Toronto's Food Policy Council, many points on policy implementation from a grassroots movement were incorporated in this groups efforts. It was great to read about a group that has navigated what it actually takes to implement the concept of a Food Policy Council successfully through thoughtful recruitment of members, a triple bottom line approach, and the networking of positive relationships with community members. One thing that really stood out about their experience was how they selected their council members. Rather than the typical "stakeholder model" of predominantly incorporating the figures with their money in the pool, they approached this recruitment by looking to who has the skill, talent, and experience for not only a diverse group, but an impressive one. These are people that need to be politically innovative, but also so active in their community that they will be acknowledged for their on-the-ground knowledge and reputability to policy makers.
     We saw in the Winne reading that the Hartford farmers market organizers were worried that their efforts were not reaching low-income families well enough. To resolve this, they hoped to implement a coupon program that would give WIC program recipients additional farmers market perks. This would be beneficial not only to these recipients, but also to the farmers involved. By actively creating a grassroots effort to address this issue, the Commissioner of Agriculture was open to hearing their funding proposition. Perhaps this was simply the luck of having this specific person interested, but with his endorsement the Commissioner of Health came on board with funding as well. Although political "power players" were involved for funding, the problem was only addressed because of community attention and action.
     So yes, food injustice is predominantly a community outreach issue. However, through drawing the interest of political figures and through the implementation of policy, there is a new sort of governance for food policy action. Food Policy Councils act as a multisectoral entity which, as mentioned in the article by Werkerle, creates new spaces of governance. By navigating translocal networks, resources can be made available through the assistance of the state but into the hands of the community. This will not only build a means of governance that understands the local culture, community leaders, obstacles, or social norms, but will also resist globalization by localizing the food system.