Toward a Healthy, Sustainable Food System: Activities at the APHA Annual Meeting and Beyond

The APHA Food and Environment Working Group, comprised of members of the Environment and Food and Nutrition sections, plus others who are interested in these topics, has been planning activities for the Annual Meeting and beyond.  As you make your conference travel reservations, keep these dates in mind.  Keep an eye out for further details and how to RSVP.

Saturday, Nov. 7: The Working Group will provide a day tour of innovative food system projects in Philadelphia, featuring a youth-based urban gardening project, a healthy corner store initiative, a visit to a farmers’ market, a discussion of supermarket initiatives for addressing food deserts, and conversations with project leaders and participants.

Tuesday, Nov. 10: We will hold our annual social and networking event featuring locally and sustainably sourced foods.

The Food and Environment Working Group addresses public health issues at the intersection of food and the environment. Among our other activities, we have brought together program planners from both sections to coordinate several jointly sponsored scientific sessions, as in the past.  A Special Session submitted by working group members, “Public Health in an Era of Resource Depletion,” is scheduled for Monday.  Beyond planning activities at the Annual Meeting and addressing bottled-water use at APHA events (see piece on bottled water in this newsletter), we have an active policy committee and are also looking to long-term activities such as addressing the food served at public health conferences and further networking — both internally within APHA, and externally, including with other health-related professional associations.

If you are interested in becoming involved in the Working Group, please contact Rebecca Klein, rklein@jhsph.edu, (410)502-7578.