Food Tank

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TypeNGO
Legal status501(c)(3)
Purposepublication, advocacy
HeadquartersBaltimore, Maryland
President
Danielle Nierenberg
Chairman of the Board
Bernard Pollack
Treasurer
Nabeeha Mujeeb Kazi-Hutchins
Regina Anderson, William Burke, Brian Halweil, Julie Kunen, Kerri McClimen, Nabeeha Kazi-Hutchins, Marc Zornes
Websitehttps://foodtank.com

Food Tank : A Food Think Tank, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2013 by Danielle Nierenberg, Bernard Pollack,[1] and Ellen Gustafson to reform the food system.[2] Its goal is to highlight environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways of alleviating hunger, obesity, and poverty.[3]

Conferences

In 2015, Food Tank launched its first Food Tank Summit in Washington, D.C. Since then, Food Tank has been holding a series of summits in various cities focused on sustainability and equity in food systems.[4] Food Tank has hosted summits in Boston,[5] Chicago,[6] New York City,[7] Sacramento,[8] San Francisco,[9] Seattle,[10] and Washington, D.C.[11] The conferences gather experts across all sectors of the food industry including business, government, nonprofit organizations, farmers, unions, and chefs.

Advocacy

Food Tank convened an official listening session in the lead-up to the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in 2022.[12][13] The session explored the theme "Dismantling Silos to Strengthen Nutrition and Food Security Research" and key takeaways were compiled into a formal report for the White House's consideration as they develop a strategy to end hunger, increase healthy eating and physical activity, and eliminate disparities.

Food Tank joined a coalition of non-governmental organizations and institutions including the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, WeightWatchers International Inc., Grubhub and the Natural Resources Defense Council[14] to help build bipartisan support for the Food Donation Improvement Act, which was signed into law in January 2023.[15] Food Tank's efforts included convening an event on Capitol Hill in partnership with WW, Bread for the World, the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC), and The Healthy Living Coalition where lawmakers, policy experts, and advocates fighting food waste called on Congress to pass the legislation.[16]

Publications

The organization's website is a publishing platform for news about the food industry and system, and it also provides research and analysis with the goal of building a science-based foundation for changing the food system.[17] Topics covered include sustainable agriculture, climate change, food waste, urban agriculture, and policy and organizing.[18]

In 2014, Food Tank partnered with the James Beard Foundation to publish an annual "Good Food Org Guide," a comprehensive directory of nonprofit organizations that are working toward a better food system.[19]

Danielle Nierenberg writes a Forbes column around sustainable agriculture and food issues, which has covered topics like agroecology, food waste, and the U.N. Climate Conference.[20]

Podcast

In 2018, Food Tank launched an original podcast, "Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg," on which Nierenberg invites chefs, experts, and activists to outline their ideal food system—and how their projects are making a better food system more attainable.[21]

Working Groups

Food Tank built a working group of Chief Sustainability Officers representing more than 150 food businesses[22] that convenes monthly to discuss trends and case studies, learn from guest speakers, network, and harness coalition opportunities.

Food Tank's peer network of academic faculty and department directors[23] meets bi-monthly and represents disciplines around food and environmental studies as well as nursing and medicine, marketing, nutrition, anthropology, labor, and religious studies. The institutions represented include land grant, liberal arts, HBCUs and Tribal Colleges, and community colleges.

Food Tank also convenes the Refresh Working Group,[24] which brings together food, agriculture, and technology experts from across the United States to ensure the positive application and responsible use of emerging technologies and data across these sectors. The group's goal is to ensure robust and healthy agriculture and food marketplaces where innovation thrives and where small and big players alike can drive positive improvements throughout the global food system.

United Nations Climate Conference

At the U.N. Climate Conference (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Food Tank partnered with all official food pavilions including the Food4Climate Pavilion with A Well-Fed World, Compassion in World Farming, FOUR PAWS, IPES-Food (International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems) and ProVeg International;[25] the Food Systems Pavilion with Clim-Eat and 15 other partners;[26] and the Food and Agriculture Pavilion with CGIAR, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, and The Rockefeller Foundation.[27]

At COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the U.N. Climate Conference featured an entire day devoted to food and agriculture for the first time.[28] Food Tank partnered on events and panels throughout the conference including at the Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas Pavilion facilitated by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA),[29] the Food and Agriculture Pavilion facilitated by CGIAR, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, IFAD, and the Rockefeller Foundation,[30] the Future Economy Forum in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Action on Food Hub,[31] the University of Pennsylvania Pavilion,[32] the Nordic Pavilion in partnership with U.N. Global Compact Norway,[33] and more.

Sundance Film Festival

Food Tank hosts annual programming at the Sundance Film Festival. In January 2023, Food Tank collaborated with The Lodge at Blue Sky Auberge Resort and Fed by Blue to host a three-day event of screenings, tastings, talks, and live music. The event included a screening of and discussion about "Hope in the Water," a docuseries produced by celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern, Brian Peter Falk, and David E. Kelly about the foods that come from the Earth's bodies of water, including wetlands, streams, and lakes.[34]

On January 20, 2024, Food Tank hosted a day of discussions during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, around the relationship between climate change and the food system.[35] Topics included Indigenous foods, food as medicine, the intersections of food and technology, the potential of restaurants in community revitalization, with celebrity speakers including Kimbal Musk and Chef Susan Feniger.[36]

Arts

WeCameToDance is Food Tank's interactive original musical about the climate crisis. It was developed by Creative Producer Bernard Pollack[37] with choreography by House of Jack,[38] original language by David Peterson of "Game of Thrones",[39] and original music by Grammy-nominated Rocky Dawuni.[40] The show debuted a month-long run at 2021 Edinburgh Fringe Festival[41] and is commissioned perform at the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.[42]

During its initial run, WeCameToDance was featured in the New York Times,[43] The List,[44] Scotsman,[38] The Herald (Scotland),[45] and Edinburgh Reporter[46] and the cast performed live on Good Morning Britain, Al Jazeera, and the BBC.[47]

In 2024, Food Tank debuted Little Peasants, an immersive theatrical showcase by playwright Bernard Pollack and director Dori A. Robinson that spotlights how baristas at a fictional chain called Unicorn Coffee come together to unionize.[48] The audience gains firsthand experience with employer and employee struggles during a unionizing campaign by participating in a meeting with the baristas during the show. At the end, the audience decides if Unicorn Coffee unionizes and the workers and managers must abide by their decision.[49]

A one-act iteration of Little Peasants was previously featured at SXSW in March 2023, where it received critical acclaim and multiple standing ovations.[50]

References

  1. ^ "Q & A: Danielle Nierenberg, Cofounder of Food Tank". Successful Farming. 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  2. ^ "New sites want you to better understand your food". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-02-24.
  3. ^ "Food Tank 2015-2016 Annual Report" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Activist Danielle Nierenberg wins the Julia Child Award, following in the footsteps of celebrity chefs". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  5. ^ "A think tank for food - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  6. ^ "Chicago, We Can Change the Food System — The 2016 Food Tank Summit!". The Daily Meal. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  7. ^ "How We Can Conserve Nearly Two Billion Tons of Food Thrown Away Annually". Impact. 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  8. ^ "Sold-out Farm Tank Summit raises frank discussion about agriculture, technology". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  9. ^ "Food For Thought". NAFSN. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  10. ^ "Food Tank Summit: Growing Food Policy". The Stranger. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  11. ^ "Food Tank Summit". Society of Environmental Journalists. 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  12. ^ "The U.S. diet is deadly. Here are 7 ideas to get Americans eating healthier". Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  13. ^ "Ending Hunger and Reducing Diet-Related Diseases and Disparities". Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
  14. ^ Amanda Little (January 6, 2023). "America's Food Waste Problem Is a Hunger Solution in Disguise". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  15. ^ Khan, Aiza (2023-01-06). "Food Donation Improvement Act Signed Into Law". Center For Health Law and Policy Innovation. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  16. ^ Held, Lisa (2022-07-13). "The Field Report: In DC, Lawmakers Push 'Common Sense' Food Waste Solution". Civil Eats. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  17. ^ Carman, Tim (2013-01-08). "New sites want you to better understand your food". Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  18. ^ "Q&A: Food Tank's Danielle Nierenberg on The Right Food Technologies and Bringing All Stakeholders Together". AFN. 2017-04-04. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  19. ^ "James Beard Foundation". James Beard Foundation. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
  20. ^ "Danielle Nierenberg". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  21. ^ "Slow Food Recommends: Ideas for Your Slow Weekend". Slow Food International. 2020-03-27. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  22. ^ "CSO Group". Food Tank. 2021-02-17. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  23. ^ "Academic Working Group". Food Tank. 2022-03-23. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  24. ^ "Refresh Working Group". Food Tank. 2021-04-08. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  25. ^ "Food4Climate Pavilion". Food4Climate Pavilion. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  26. ^ "Food Systems Pavilion – Action On Food for people and planet". Food Systems Pavilion. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  27. ^ "Food and Agriculture Pavilion – Putting agri-food systems at the heart of the agenda of COP-27". Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  28. ^ Bauck, Whitney (2023-12-17). "'Food is finally on the table': Cop28 addressed agriculture in a real way". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  29. ^ "IICAnews - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  30. ^ "Fireside Chat – The role of finance in transforming food systems". Food Pavilion. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  31. ^ "Blue Zone Schedule: COP28". events.futureeconomy.forum. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  32. ^ "Penn Pavilion Events: COP28". Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  33. ^ "Join the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28". www.norden.org. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  34. ^ Cook, Aimee L. (2023-01-24). ""Hope in the Water" sheds light on protecting blue food". TownLift, Park City News. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  35. ^ "Food Tank Summit Returns to Park City during Sundance 2024". KPCW. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  36. ^ Staff, Pulp Lab (2024-01-21). "Sundance 2024: Nourishing the Planet, One Bite at a Time @FoodTank". Pulp Lab. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  37. ^ "Danielle Nierenberg: 'We're trying to bring joy to what can be uncomfortable issues'". Edinburgh Festival. 2021-08-09. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  38. ^ a b "Fringe dance review: WeCameToDance, Nicolson Square". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  39. ^ Kennedy, John (2021-08-14). "Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2021 – A Call from Occupants of Interplanetary Craft". The Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  40. ^ "Edinburgh Fringe live round-up: Burnt Out, WeCameToDance, My Car Plays Tapes and more..." The Stage. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  41. ^ "WeCameToDance". Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  42. ^ "Radical show aims to create new generation of food activists at COP26". The National. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  43. ^ Wolf, Matt (2021-08-19). "A Quiet Summer at Edinburgh's Festivals". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  44. ^ "Danielle Nierenberg: 'We're trying to bring joy to what can be uncomfortable issues'". Edinburgh Festival. 2021-08-09. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  45. ^ "Agenda: Seeing the food system as a solution to the climate crisis". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  46. ^ Kennedy, John (2021-08-14). "Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2021 – A Call from Occupants of Interplanetary Craft". The Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  47. ^ "BBC Radio Scotland - The Afternoon Show, From the Edinburgh Festivals: Del Amitri, Ambrose Parry, Mara Menzies and We Came To Dance". BBC. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  48. ^ Nguyen, Hannah (2024-01-31). "Performances of 'Little Peasants' at The Burren put a decision to unionize in audience's hands". Cambridge Day. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  49. ^ Terry Byrne (January 25, 2024). "At Central Square, a play that explores a tricky father-son-robot relationship". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  50. ^ "'Little Peasants' workshop performances at The Burren". The Somerville Times. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
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