This spring Food Tank is recommending 20 books that take readers on a journey through food and agriculture systems. These resources highlight ways that eaters can make more informed decisions in the grocery store, garden, and kitchen to support more sustainable production and consumption choices. And they celebrate the joy that food brings to communities around the world. Here are 20 titles that Food Tank is reading this spring. 1. Bite by Bite by Aimee Nezhukumatathil Bite by Bite is a collection of essays that explore the emotional and sensory connections people have to food. Thr ..read more

According to a recent report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), food upcycling is one of the three most environmentally friendly ways to mitigate food waste. As companies try to reduce their impact on the environment, many are rescuing food and using innovative methods to produce upcycled products. Upcycled foods are made with ingredients that would not have otherwise been consumed by humans, according to the Upcycled Food Association. These foods might have gone to landfills, anaerobic digesters or incinerators, or been converted into animal feed. Anna Hammond, the CEO of up ..read more

Across the city of Atlanta, Georgia, many organizations are working to build a food system that centers community wellbeing with the health of the planet. These organizations are supporting local food producers and regional economies, offering educational resources and agricultural training, and working to ensure that their neighbors don’t go hungry. On April 14, Food Tank is heading to Atlanta to partner with Spelman College and Emory University for the Summit “Empowering Eaters: Access, Affordability, and Healthy Choices.” Held in support of the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and He ..read more

During The Players Tailgate at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, NV, Food Recovery Network (FRN) and local college students will recover surplus food to prevent it from going to waste.  FRN, a student-led movement dedicated to fighting food waste and hunger, will work with volunteers, including students from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, to rescue uneaten food and donate it to the Just One Project. The nonprofit recipient works to address food insecurity in southern Nevada through a pop up mobile market, a brick and mortar community market, and grocery delivery.  “We all deserve a ..read more

This winter, Food Tank is highlighting 20 book to help you broaden your understanding of food and agriculture systems. In Barons, Austin Frerick focuses on the careers of seven corporate titans who altered the U.S. food system. Generation Dread offers a new perspective for readers grappling with climate anxiety. And What if CAFOs Were History? offers a vision of an agriculture system that is regenerative and free of factory farming systems. Whether you’re diving into the world of food systems for the first time or looking to stay up to date on the latest research, this ..read more

I hope your new year is off to a good start! I’m thinking about what changes this new year will bring: Will we take meaningful national and global policy action on food systems? Will we bring our eating patterns into alignment with what’s healthy for the planet? Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the transformations I’d like to see in the world—and reading some very smart people’s predictions for the food system in 2024. Climate and sustainability are top-of-mind, of course, as are food prices, which could start to go back down after years of inflation. Technology and food, especially a ..read more

Contributing authors: Liza Greene, Elena Seeley, and Alessandra Uriarte The food and agriculture movement made incredible strides over the last year—but our work isn’t done yet! The ambition to transform food systems is demonstrated every day by networks building capacity for farmers and ranchers, organizations forming unusual partnerships to achieve shared goals, programs giving voice to youth, and initiatives investing in community-led innovations and solutions. These groups are continuing to push for food and agriculture systems that are economically, socially, and environmentally just ..read more

Food Tank is highlighting 26 cookbooks that showcase a variety of cuisines from around the world. Readers can explore Sandra A. Gutierrez’s Latinísimo, which looks at the fundamentals of Latin American home cooking. Made Here by Send Chinatown Love introduces signature dishes from New York City’s Asian communities. In Still We Rise, Erika Council teaches readers about the Black culinary traditions of the American South. And Imad Alarnab’s Imad’s Syrian Kitchen, celebrates the decadent flavors of Syrian cuisine. Whether you are looking to add a new dish to your repertoire or ..read more

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the average person over the age of 15 consumes the equivalent of 53 bottles of wine per year. These consumption trends matter to the environment. According to a study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production and Beverages, the production of alcoholic beverages can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation, and water depletion. Recognizing the responsibility they have to the Earth, many beer, wine, and spirit companies are working to produce delicious drinks while taking steps to reduce their environmental footprin ..read more

This fall, Food Tank is recommending 23 books that can broaden and deepen everyone’s understanding of food systems and the power of storytelling. Books like Taras Grescoe’s The Lost Supper, Sarah Lohman’s Endangered Eating, and Slow Food’s The Ark of Taste highlight the future of food through the preservation of traditional foodways and practices. Laura Tillman’s The Migrant Chef and Curtis Chin’s memoir, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, highlight the challenges and resiliency of changemakers in the food industry. We’ve also included a dystopian novel, Land of Milk and ..read more