UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization Calls Food and Hunger a “Crisis Within a Crisis” of COVID-19 Food often suffers from the problem that it can’t get no respect as a public policy issue. But the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization has been quick off the mark to produce a flurry of food-related briefings reminding people that food policy must stay front and center — and…

by Wayne Roberts It’s too early for precise answers to questions about the coronavirus pandemic’s long-term impacts on the ways food is produced, processed, distributed, eaten, recycled and appreciated. But my experience managing food policy issues in Toronto for one of the world’s leading city-based public health departments gives me…

Can food tweets go viral amidst COVID-19? #coronavirus has been teaching us what viral means in terms of a scary communicable disease, not just the communicable media scene we’ve grown comfortable with. But a hyper-modern pandemic requires hyper-modern communications. The Twitterverse has come through the #COVID-19, #CoronaVirusUpdates experience with flying colors — providing a communications universe where…

And why food pitches are more complicated than they should be Good Food organizations need to get as good at asking for help and support as giving help and support. Learning how to pitch for Good Food For All charities, not-for-profits, and trying-to-be-for-profits can help more people help themselves. The…

SURPRISE!! THERE’S A DEEPER SECRET THAN TIRED WRITING!! Novelists and movie screenwriters know how to entice you into a story. Economists, sociologists, food policy wonks, and food campaigners do not. One result of that difference is that the open rate for non-profit emails is worse than half the open rate…

By Wayne Roberts I’m going to talk about some lessons I learned from studying social media posts by Good Food organizations during December 2019’s flurry of festivities. …

by Wayne Roberts This short post is about a concept that brings different kinds of people together to pool resources and create something bigger and longer-lasting than anyone could ever have done on his or her own. It’s about a tool that engages citizens from all walks of life in…

SIX SUREFIRE WAYS TO ENGAGE & INSPIRE A DAY-LONG MEETING By Wayne Roberts People come from over 30 countries to live in Toronto’s Black Creek community. Many are homesick for the healthy and tasty comfort foods of their birthland. …

Why grain, bean, and root vegetable storage needs to become a foundation of modern planning in the era of climate change and contagious disease By Wayne Roberts Grains and carbs may be on the outs with food fashionista these days, but the way we think about preserving them remains a good marker of whether we have kept our bearings — as proud beneficiaries of stable and “civilized” lifestyles, yet still humble beings in the…