Cleveland has a growing reputation for having some of the best restaurants, a robust urban agriculture scene and innovative food incubators. Cleveland also is one of the largest urban agriculture cities in the country, and has one of the oldest and most successful food policy coalitions. However, there are still seemingly intractable inequities in the local food system, such as high rates of food insecurity and gaps in access to healthy foods for many people. Nearly two-out-of-three Clevelanders live in neighborhoods with limited access to full-service supermarkets. These so-called “food deserts” are proxies for underlying economic, social and health inequities.
Closing this gap requires strategic changes to the local food system, such as food business development that supports the creation of livable wage jobs for residents in areas with the least access to healthy foods, and community development that better links residents to resources, like housing, transportation and social supports needed to thrive.
At the next Science Café Cleveland, Darcy Freedman, the Mary Ann Swetland Professor, will engage in reflective deliberations about what it will take to refocus local food systems to achieve food security and nutrition equity in Cleveland and beyond.
The talk, titled “A Tale of Two Food Cities,” will be held today (Sept. 9) from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Music Box Supper Club (1148 Main Ave.).
Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and limited menu options will be available for purchase. A chairlift is available by request.
The Case Western Reserve University chapter of Sigma Xi, WCPN ideastream and the Music Box Supper Club will sponsor the event.