Table Talk
We invite you to join the conversation about good food, food security and food systems.
Good Food
According to the Michigan Good Food Charter, good food is:
Healthy
It provides nourishment and enables people to thrive
Green
It was produced in a manner that is environmentally sustainable
Fair
No one along the supply chain was exploited for its creation
Affordable
All people have access to food regardless of social and economic constraints
The Michigan Good Food Charter is working to ensure Michiganders have access to good food and Michigan farmers and food businesses have opportunities. Their first goal states that Michigan Institutions will source 20% of their food products from Michigan growers, producers and processors.
Food Security
Being food secure is the ability to find and afford nutritious, safe, and culturally appropriate food. Food security and good nutrition are essential for everyone. In the United States, 1 in 8 people struggle with hunger. Watch the video (to the right) from Feeding America, it describes the cycle of food insecurity and health, and how each of us can be part of the solution.
Visit our Food Security Resources to learn more.
Food Systems
Think of a food system as the steps it takes for the food we eat to get from the farm to our kitchens and onto our dinner plates. A food system within 50-100 miles from your home is known as a local food system. Why does it matter where our food comes from?
- Locally grown food is full of flavor
- Eating local food is eating seasonally
- Local food is fresher
- Local food tastes better
- Local food has more nutrients (than food consumed out of season)
- Local food has a shorter time between harvest and your dinner table
- Local food supports the local economy
- Local food benefits the environment
- Local foods promote a safer food supply
Visit our Food Systems Resources to learn more.
Food Justice
Food justice is the belief that healthy food is a human right and every person should have access to healthy, fresh food. Food is culture, a way to community, culturally appropriate, affordable, and accessible.
Visit our Food Justice Resources to learn more.
How SNAP Helps Families
Max Gage’s father needed emergency surgery. He had been ill and was unable to work. It was then that his family turned to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which has helped Max’s mother, Catherine Gage, continue to support their family of eight.
This story was recorded and produced by StoryCorps, a national nonprofit whose mission is to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Click/tap to watch the full SNAP Matters playlist.