TakePart Exclusive: Interview with Jill Richardson

These days it's hard to pick up a fork and not wonder if you're making the best choice for you and the planet, which is why Jill Richardson's new book, Recipe For America, couldn't have arrived at a better time.  An incredibly thorough, yet accessible guide to the complex issues surrounding the food we eat, Jill shows us how our food system is broken, and perhaps more importantly, guides us towards sustainable solutions.  You may already be familiar with Jill's entertaining and resourceful, all-things-food blog La Vida Locavore, and if you aren't, I suggest you bookmark it immediately.

You may also be familiar with some of the issues that Jill address in Recipe for America if you've read Omnivore's Dilemma, watched Food, Inc. or paid remote attention to the multitude of recent news stories that reveal ugly truths about where our food comes from.  But even if you have been keeping tabs on the issues, Jill breaks them down in a susinct, digestable (couldn't resist) way and then arms you with the tools to take action.  From industrial farms to farmers markets and from school cafeterias to Capitol Hill, Recipe For America deftly covers the issues that affect us all, and whether you consider yourself a food activist or just a concerned eater, I highly reccomend you order yourself a copy (get an autographed copy here).

Jill kindly took the time to answer a few questions about Recipe For America:

Danny Jensen: When did you first become interested in food politics and when did you decide that Recipe For America had to be written?

Jill Richardson: I became interested in food politics in January 2006 when I realized that the obesity epidemic was such a recent phenomenon. I thought: "What changed?" Humans didn't evolve within the span of 20 years, and junk food wasn't new. So what was it? The goal of writing a book came about a few months later when I realized how much I enjoyed writing about the topic, but the subject of the book didn't materialize until later that year. As I read more and more about the subject of food, there was always one topic that I felt wasn't addressed well by the currently available books on the topic, and that was the political aspect of the issue.

DJ: How do I briefly explain the “industrial food system” to someone at a cocktail party without spoiling the hors d'oeuvre for them?

JR: Good question. I certainly try not to spoil people's meals for them. Instead I let them be the guide for where the conversation goes. Everybody eats so most people have a lot to say about food. I try to tell the story of our food system in a more personal way because I think that comes off less preachy and threatening to people. I'm not saying "I am the expert and here is what you should do" but instead I am saying "This is my experience and here's how it affected me" and I'm inviting them to engage in that conversation.

DJ: I love the action resources you provide at the end of Recipe for America.  Could you highlight two immediate actions someone can take after reading your book to make positive change at home and nationally?

JR: Yes! Absolutely! One question I've been asked in interviews repeatedly is: "Does it really matter if I write my Senators and Representatives?" And the answer is YES! It's disappointing that we don't see the impact that all of those phone calls and emails make in a more transparent way, but they do make a difference. I would encourage people to sign up for action alerts from an organization they trust like Organic Consumers Association or Food and Water Watch. It's the easiest way to follow the issues because those groups do the work for you. Then when you get an action alert, take action. Send an email to your representative and get a few of your friends to do the same.

DJ: What important food legislation should we be paying attention to and getting involved with right now?

JR: There are two big ones right now.
1. Food safety legislation. This is on the verge of passing the House and we don't know when the Senate will take it up. Right now, you can tell your representative that you want them to vote for the bill BUT you want them to make sure the bill protects American small farmers and small businesses.
2. The Child Nutrition Reauthorization. This is the bill that sets the policy for the National School Lunch Program for the next 5 years. There hasn't been much movement on this yet aside from a few hearings in the Senate but they have to pass it this year so it's something to watch for. And it's certainly not too early to write your representatives and tell them you want to see better school lunches. We need them to increase the reimbursement rate - the amount they spend for each kid's lunch - and to pass The Child Nutrition Promotion and School Lunch Protection Act, a bill that will update the standards of which junk foods aren't allowed in schools for the first time since 1978.

DJ: How has your daily routine been affected by researching and writing the book?

JR: I've been researching and writing for as long as I can remember now. When it wasn't food, it was something else political. I've been doing this ever since the 2004 election because I felt a need to do something to make the changes in our country that the election failed to make.

DJ: You do a terrific job addressing the myriad of challenges parents face with the blitz of advertising for unhealthy foods.  What can parents do to help improve their children’s media literacy and food literacy?

JR: Gosh, not being a parent, I'm really not sure how to address the media issue. I don't have a television so that would be my solution but that's obviously not what most people would do. Kids are bombarded with advertisements constantly, whether it's the commercials on TV or the foods on the lowest grocery store shelves right at their eye level. As for food literacy, I would engage children in growing and cooking food. Even if you don't have a garden, take your child apple picking or berry picking if you can. Get involved in the lunch program at your child's school too. A number of schools around the country now have successful farm to school programs, and parents are some of the biggest heroes in that movement.