Healthy First Nation Food - Denisa Livingston

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Food deserts with a shortage of affordable healthy foods are not just found in inner cites but also throughout the country in rural and remote areas where the choices are \”fat, cheap and easy\” foods leading to an epidemic of diabetes and related health issues. The first place in America to address this with a Healthy Food Act and a tax on unhealthy foods was not Brooklyn or Berkeley but the Navajo Nation. This is where Denisa Livingston is working to empower Navajo communities to take control of food policy and lead a movement toward food sovereignty and social change. Through the Dine` Community Advocacy Alliance Act she helped create a 2% additional sales tax for unhealthy foods with the revenue going to fund community based and community directed health and wellness programs. Passing laws in the Navajo Nation faces the same challenges from lobbyists for national food brands as in Washington DC or State Legislatures. It\’s hard, but the advocates for healthier food choices have persevered. Denisa is also the Slow Food International Indigenous Councilor of the Global North. Indigenous people around the globe are addressing similar challenges and the Internet is allowing them to form a global community to share stories and strategies from New Mexico to Kenya. Denisa Livingston shares the journey on Farm To Talk. Facebook: @dineadvocacy Twitter: @princessedenisa

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About Table Talk

The Farm To Table Talk podcast is a virtual table for conversations about ideas, insights, and journeys of chefs, farmers, policymakers, researchers, NGOs and the food-focused public about our food and how it is grown, prepared and shared throughout society. The host, Rodger Wasson is a food and agriculture veteran. Raised on his family’s farm in Central Illinois, he has worked for and with every size, type, and age of farmers and aspiring farmers. Whether new, old, big or small, they are all part of today’s food movement. The Farm to Table Talk podcasts are for those interested in journeys within the modern food system and the stories behind our every bite. Contact rodger@idea-farming with your thoughts, suggestions or questions.