Knoxville Food Policy Council reveals new research

The Knoxville/Knox County Food Policy Council released information about its “Spring 2013 Community Research Findings and Recommendations” and its upcoming events on Tuesday, Sept. 17^th at a Knoxville City Council meeting.

James Bosi, business resource manager and food policy council member, reported that the council researched issues including residential food access, food mapping, and “Farm to Fork.” “‘Farm to Fork’ is a phrase that many food consumers use to describe their affinity for fresh and locally grown food,” according to the council’s website.

“This project [was] funded by the state of Tennessee’s ‘Eat Well, Play More’ initiative…,”the food policy council’s website said. The council worked closely with Healthcare 21, a business coalition specializing in improving health, to further enhance this research.

According to Food Research and Action Center’s “Food Hardship in America 2011,” Knoxville is ranked 17^th in a survey taken by Gallup-Healthway about food hardships in the nation’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas.

Bosi explained that Knoxville was one of 13 cities who were traveling to Memphis to address issues such as, transportation to food stores and food access, as detailed on the next page. They plan to “look at [the] success of other cities and bring back…” valuable information to the City Council, according to Bosi.

Stephanie Welch, Director of Community Development and Planning, Steve Seifried, principal at Conversant Consulting , and Liam Hysjulien, a UT undergraduate advisor , were all current board members present at the meeting.

The Food Council also invited the community to its free screening of “A Place at the Table” at the University of Tennessee’s University Center on Saturday, September 2st at 4 p.m. The film “…gives a new face to hunger…,” Bosi said.

“A Place at the Table tells the powerful stories of three such Americans, who maintain their dignity even as they struggle just to eat,” according to the film’s official website. The film also features celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio, a judge on Bravo’s hit show, Top Chef.

For more information about Knoxville/Knox County Food Policy Council visit http://www.knoxfood.org/.