$2bn in food system funding, the Russian blockade, the first Juneteenth cookbook, and more
Before the Cutting Board: June 1, 2022
Hey there,
Welcome back to Before the Cutting Board, your weekly roundup of food + supply chain hot topics to help keep you up to speed on what’s going down with your food.
If you’re new to Before The Cutting Board, here’s how it works: The “This Week” section focuses on news and current events. Occasionally, I’ll include a “Food Fights” section that explores some of the interesting debates flying around the food news world.
Without further ado, let’s dig in.
This Week
US announces $2B in food system funding
Yesterday, the US Department of Agriculture announced $2B in new funding to “strengthen food supply chains hit hard by the pandemic”. Tom Vilsack, the US Secretary of Agriculture, indicated that the funding would be designated for: supporting urban agriculture, helping farmers transition to organic, increasing competition in meat processing amid intensifying monopolies, improving sourcing and nutrition for school meals, and financial assistance for supply chain infrastructure.
Putin continues to use global food supplies as a bargaining chip
We are now entering the fourth month of a Russian naval blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, which has effectively cut off any trade from an area that was responsible for 98% of Ukrainian grain exports prior to the unprovoked invasion. Calls for world leaders to facilitate an end to the blockade are growing more urgent as the halt to maritime trade in the region has put food supplies in countries across the world in a state of severe precarity. As a reminder, Ukraine and Russia together are typically relied upon as the source for over a quarter of the global wheat trade. Droughts in other wheat producing regions are also contributing to dwindling wheat stocks.
Importing countries that are being hit the hardest share a common thread of being put in a position to rely upon globalized supply chains as a result of colonial power structures and manipulation that is clearly still being felt today. You can check out my breakdown of these historical patterns on this episode of The Checkout Radio.
Honorable Mentions:
A shameless self-plug: I spoke with James Beard award-winning food writer and producer Nicole Taylor for Civil Eats to discuss her new Juneteenth cookbook, which was released this past Tuesday. We talked about honoring tradition and nostalgia while making room for new traditions, how to reckon with Juneteenth’s newfound popularity outside of the Black community, and our deep gratitude for Black celebration culture (which has always persisted in the face of many trials).
We’ve Never Been Good at Feeding Babies from The Atlantic
2 Years Since George Floyd’s Death, Nearby Kitchen Keeps Community’s Dreams Alive from WCCO/CBS Minnesota
That’s it for this week. If you enjoyed reading this, please forward to a friend. Even if you didn’t enjoy reading it, still tell your friends - misery loves company :)