Dismantling and rebuilding the food system after COVID-19: Ten principles for redistribution and regeneration

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and cost economies trillions of dollars. Yet state responses have done little to address the negative externalities of the corporate food regime, which has contributed to, and exacerbated, the impacts of the pandemic. In this paper, we build on calls from the grassroots for states to undertake a strategic dismantling of the corporate food regime through redistributive policies and actions across scales, financed through reparations by key actors in the corporate food regime. We present a strategic policy framework drawn from the food sovereignty movement, outlined here as the “5Ds of Redistribution”: Decolonization, Decarbonization, Diversification, Democratization, and Decommodification. We then consider what would need to occur post-redistribution to ensure that the corporate food regime does not re-emerge, and pose five guiding principles grounded in Indigenous food sover¬eignty to rebuild regenerative food systems, out¬lined here as the “5Rs of Regeneration”: Relation¬ality, Respect, Reciprocity, Responsibility, and Rights. Together these ten principles for redistri¬bution and regeneration provide a framework for food systems transformation after COVID-19.

Mobilizing Networks and Relationships Through Indigenous Food Sovereignty: The Indigenous Food Circle’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Northwestern Ontario

“…In this paper, we have argued that responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in a meaningful way entails addressing both short and long-term challenges. From a food systems perspective, it demands supporting the immediate needs of the people and communities that have been vulnerabilized and simultaneously transitioning away from the capitalist food system while building different kinds of food systems rooted in justice and sustainability (James et al, 2021). Moreover, to build Indigenous food sovereignty, this work should be led by Indigenous social movements, organizations and communities with the support of settler allies that can provide direct assistance and wrap-around supports (McMeeking at el., 2020;Power et al, 2020).…”

A systems approach to navigating food security during COVID-19: Gaps, opportunities, and policy supports

“…Importantly, conversations around food system resilience need to critically consider political dimensions: resilience for whom, of what, to what, where, when, and why (Meerow & Newell, 2019). The pandemic has brought some of these political issues to the fore: the right to food; arguments for wealth redistribution, basic income, and holding corporations accountable for their negative externalities, among others (James et al, 2021). Simultaneously, the pandemic has ignited debates over the prospect of 'peak globalization' (Enderwick & Buckley, 2020) and what a necessarily more regional or localized politics may look like (Quilley, 2012).…”

“…While often but not always organized around principles of reciprocity and redistribution, these community and household initiatives are what some scholars might characterize as "reformist" or "progressive", rather than "radical" (Gimenez & Shattuck, 2011). In other words, these interventions may not directly tackle systemic issues around rights, redistribution, and responsibility described above (James et al, 2021). Yet, we contend that these responses are key to building more resilient food systems in the long-term.…”

Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. in Different Ready to Eat Foods from Large Retailers and Canteens over a 2-Year Period in Northern Italy

“…1 Thermo Fisher, Waltham, USA. 2 Bio-Rad, Marne la Coquette, France. 3 Microgen Biproducts, Camberley, England.…”

“…As a result of changes in lifestyles, the current economic systems, a curiosity for culinary dishes that are diverse and distant from our traditions [1], and, more recently, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic [2], there has been an increase in the consumption of so-called ready-to-eat foods (RTE). In this regard, in Europe in 2021, the average volume of consumption of RTE meals per person, thus far, amounts to 15 kg.…”