Oxonian Besty Champan looks through food at Food Day last year.
Photo by Anna Brigance | The Daily Mississippian
The University of Mississippi will host its third annual Food Day celebration today. Ole Miss Food Day aims to teach students and the community about the health, economic and environmental issues surrounding food.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be an on-campus farmers market and festival in front of the Student Union. Students will be able to buy fresh goods and meet local farmers. The farmers market will also feature live cooking demos.
“University students will really get to see where they can get fresh, local food here in Oxford, as well as peruse the local organizations they can get involved with including the Community Garden and Good Food for Oxford Schools,” said Sunny Young, director of Good Food for Oxford Schools.
Following the festival, there will be a discussion panel called “Impact of a Changing Food System” from 3:30-5 p.m. in the Overby Center located in Farley Hall.
Along with Young, other panelists include Jody Holland, visiting assistant professor of public policy leadership; Emily Broad-Leib, Harvard law lecturer, director of Food Law and Policy Clinic and assistant director for the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation; Kathy Knight, interim department chair and associate professor of Nutrition and Hospitality Management; Chip Johnson, mayor of Hernando; and Jonathan Parker, resident district manager of Aramark Inc.
“(The panel) will expose (students) to what’s going on locally, on a state-wide perspective and nationally with the local food movement,” panelist Holland said.
According to Holland, each panelist will be able to deliver a perspective from different geographical scopes and different disciplinary perspectives, such as health and the nutritional value of local food systems as well as the economy and how jobs can be created from the local food system.
Holland also said that Aramark representative and panelist Jonathan Parker will be highlighting the changes that will take place when the Johnson Commons completes construction.
Campus organization Food Action Rebels and non-partisan, non-profit organization Mississippi First will host the last event of the day with a screening of the film “Fresh” at 6 p.m. in the Croft Institute.
“Fresh” follows Michael Pollan, Will Allen and Joel Salatin as they re-invent the food system in America. Several of the main characters are farmers, thinkers and business people who believe in educating others about healthy alternatives for the future of America’s agriculture.
The goals of Ole Miss Food Day include trying to expose students to the different perspectives and changes in the food system and the local food movement.
Senior art major Allie Billmeyer believes events like this are a positive step for Ole Miss.
“The students have the right to be informed of these healthy food options available in our community,” Billmeyer said. “I think drawing attention to eating local through farmer’s markets is a wonderful reminder that Chick-fil-A and Papa John’s are not the only food sources we have.”
Ole Miss Food Day is an effort to join in the national celebration of Food Day, Oct. 16 – 24. Food Day is an annual event that involves a grassroots campaign for better food policies while educating others abut healthy, affordable and sustainably produced food.
“Currently our diets here in the U.S. and especially in Mississippi are killing us,” Young said. “Changing your diet to include fresh, local foods is one of the best things you can do to transform your life.”
All University of Mississippi Food Day events are free and open to the public.
For more information on National Food Day, visit http://www.foodday.org.
