Rights-Based Food Banking: Moving Produce Rescue towards Justice Across Borders

Guests: Michael Rozyne, founder of Red Tomato and one of the three founding members of Equal Exchange; and Robert Ojeda, Chief Programs Director of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and a founding member of Closing the Hunger Gap.

Co-Hosts: Hannah Semler and Ali Berlow use multi-dimensional storytelling to explore what food security means from both ends of our food supply chain. We take a look from both sides of the MX-US border, learning more about the role produce rescue can have in support of hunger-relief, food security, and food justice when communities come together into focus as a shared story of fair trade, interconnected rights and, the right to food.

This is the third episode in Season One: The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona’s Produce Rescue Efforts in Nogales.

The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona (CFB) which has rescued and redistributed over 100 million pounds of Mexico-grown produce over the last three years to 37 food banks in 33 states across the U.S., is in the process of developing a collaborative approach to its cross-border Nogales port of entry produce sector business solution, using a rights-based lens.

Robert describes how his personal journey informs the work he is most passionate about - turning Community Food Bank into a partner and ally with the communities they support with additional access to food by inviting people in to participate fully in public life and holding that as a precondition to the role they might play securing their own food security.

Michael shares his journey, weaving in and out of working with local and regional agricultural in the U.S., with his perspectives about international supply chains, and the importance of telling the stories of far away food production, while relearning how to value our local agriculture, here at home. His is a clarion call to narrative shifts and complex collaborations in order to transform food systems towards justice.

‘What is American Food?’ is funded by the Betsy and Jesse Fink Family Foundation. Production support from Melody Rowell and Ian Carlsen. Music by Ian Carlsen. Barks by Barley.