Hi! My name is Lindsey Margaret Allen and I want to change the way we think about our food.
I love food. I love cooking it, I love eating it, I love embarrassing my friends at restaurants and taking pictures of it. Food has always been a central part of my family traditions. Food is how I express gratitude and creativity. Food is a love language for me in many ways. I think this is why it was so transformational in my life to build a deeper relationship with my food knowledge - before it was on my cutting board and before it was on grocery shelves.
My journey started in Chicago, a city surrounded by farm states with a high concentration of food deserts - or areas with extremely low access to affordable, nutritious, and/or culturally relevant food - primarily in Black and Brown communities. As I grew older and began a career in agricultural development abroad, the disconnect between those who buy food and those who grow food came full circle.
I spent time with agribusinesses in Morocco, Ghana, and other countries across the African continent that were working to create better opportunity for farmers on the ground while marketing sustainability solutions for food companies at the other end of the supply chain. Being in that position, in the middle of our food supply chains, I realized how much we prioritize food access and availability without any cognizance of how supply chains have transformed over the past two decades.
Then, the pandemic hit. And all of that changed. We were seeing empty grocery shelves, trying to navigate shortages while pouring out overproduced milk. Cargo barges lined up in record-breaking traffic jams outside of ports. Prices skyrocketing without any increase in profit for the food workers and growers who keep the supply chain moving.
Now, more than ever, there is a growing collective awareness of how globalized our food chains have become.
There’s a lot that feels chaotic and uncertain at the moment, but what feels more clear is that our food systems will have to change. And I believe the way to get people on board with change is through creating access points through which we can better understand the issues and dynamics at play.
For me, raised a city girl, speaking and working with farmers in Morocco, Tanzania, Ghana, and Costa Rica was my access point. I’m hoping this newsletter may be yours.
Cool so now what?
Every Thursday, I’ll send out a round up of must-read articles with a breakdown from yours truly to give you some insight on ‘wtf is going on with our supply chains’. The topics will center everything and everyone that is involved in helping get your food from the starting point to your kitchen.
Like what you’re reading?
Help me spread the word. Share this newsletter with anyone and everyone who cares about food, the environment, politics, and human stories.
Let’s learn together
Questions, thoughts, comments? Want to geek out on food and supply chains together? Find me at @LindseyMAllen_ on Twitter and @lindseymargaretallen on IG. When I’m not writing this round up, I’m still pushing the sustainable supply chain agenda via Point of Origin.