This fall, through the effort of senior Carolina Sanchez-Hervas, Rhodes College will partake in National Food Day, a grass roots campaign to promote humane, healthy, and affordable food.
Carolina is an International Studies major from Tallahassee, Florida and has always been very interested in food politics, particularly improving the food system in the United States. Due to the fact that most food in the United States is processed, she explains that the food system has become “a big science experiment.” “It is like our nation has an eating disorder,”she says.
Carolina got involved in National Food Day this year. Food Day was launched by The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit group in Washington D.C. Food Day hopes to improve the condition of the food industry in the United States. Their main goals are:
1. Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods
2. Support sustainable farms and limit subsidies to big agribusiness
3. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger
4. Protect the environment and animals by reforming factory farms
5. Curb junk-food marketing to kids
6. Support fair conditions for food and farm workers
When reading about the U.S. food system, Carolina frequently came across The Center for Science in the Public Interest. When she was looking for a summer internship, her dad suggested that she look into this organization. She found their internship, applied, and was accepted.
Carolina worked for CSPI for ten weeks and Food Day, in particular, was her project. Her duties as an intern varied from contacting food organizations like Whole Foods to visiting embassies in D.C. to see if they were interested in getting involved in the project. Although she is now back at Rhodes, Carolina continues her internship through phone calls and emails. She is also responsible for organizing the Food Day events for Rhodes.
Even though a college student, Carolina manages to maintain a life-style of great eating habits. She buys her groceries from Whole Foods Market and Urban Farms (a local farmers’ market off of Sam Cooper and Tillman) and cooks all of her meals in her East Village dorm. For the average Rhodes student without a kitchen in his or her dorm, however, Carolina offers some advice on healthy eating habits: “Eat less processed foods (avoid things in a box or bag). If there are more than five of something that you can’t pronounce, than it’s probably not good for you.”
Carolina is currently in the process of applying for NYU’s Food Studies Masters Program for next fall.
National Food Day takes place on October 24, but Rhodes will be hosting various events from October 22 to November 29. The events will include multiple documentary screenings, lectures, and a day where local chefs will cook locally produced foods in the Rat.
Food Day Celebration Schedule
10/22 Healthy Concessions at the Homecoming Football Game
10/24 Local Chefs Prepare Food in the Rat
10/25 Screening of Forks Over Knives (7 p.m. Blount Auditorium in Buckman Hall)
RSVP requested. Respond here: http://foodday.org/participate/event_memberships/attend/1038
11/1 Lecture by Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn and Ann Esselstyn (6:30-8:30 p.m. Blount Auditorium)
RSVP requested. Respond here: http://foodday.org/participate/event_memberships/attend/1040
11/8 Screening of The End of the Line (7 p.m. in the Orgill Room in Clough Hall)
RSVP requested. Respond here: http://foodday.org/participate/event_memberships/attend/1075
11/29 Screening of Food, Inc. (7 p.m. in Blount Auditorium in Buckman Hall)
RSVP requested. Respond here: http://foodday.org/participate/event_memberships/attend/1076
For more information on Food Day contact Carolina Sanchez at sanca@rhodes.edu or visit FoodDay.org