Food Tank, in partnership with Duke University’s World Food Policy Center, announces their Empowering Eaters: Access, Affordability, Healthy Choices Summit on Sunday, March 3, 2024 at the Fitzpatrick Building, Schiciano Auditorium (101 Science Drive, Research Dr, Durham, NC 27708). This is the third in a series of four summits Food Tank is organizing around the country to raise awareness, foster dialogue, and cultivate solutions.
Centering the health and wellbeing of future generations through policy, and featuring 40+ prominent strategists, leaders, and changemakers, this event will discuss the implementation of a National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Throughout the day, speakers and participants will discuss how to empower eaters through policy pillars of access, affordability, and healthy choices, identify the gaps and barriers that hinder these things, and brainstorm potential solutions through new partnerships and innovation.
“At Food Tank, we believe food can be the solution to some of our most pressing environmental and social problems.” says Food Tank President and Co-Founder Danielle Nierenberg. “It’s an honor to come together at Duke University to support the goals outlined in the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health – a national initiative to end hunger, reduce diet-related diseases and health disparities, and improve public health. We hope this series of summits elevates and augments conversations around solutions and positive change.”
This is the third of a four-part, national series of summits led by Food Tank. Prior to the March summit with Duke University, iterations of Food Tank’s “Empowering Eaters” have been hosted in Chicago, Illinois (in partnership with Farmer’s Fridge and United Nations Global Compact Food & Agriculture Initiative) and Boston, MA (in partnership with the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University). Following the Duke event, the final “Empowering Eaters” summit will take place in Atlanta, Georgia in partnership with Emory University on April 14th.
The agenda for the summit at Duke includes the following captivating speakers (in no particular order):
Policy speakers (note: several participating by video):
Leonardo Williams, Mayor of Durham, North Carolina; Roy Cooper, Governor, North Carolina; Will McIntee, Senior Advisor for Public Engagement, The White House; Rachel Ferencik, Senior Program Officer, Centers for Disease Control Foundation; U.S. Congresswoman Valerie Foushee; Kelliann Blazek, Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture and Rural Policy, The White House; U.S. Congressman Dr. Greg Murphy; Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, State Health Director, Chief Medical Officer, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services; U.S. Congresswoman Kathy Manning; U.S. Congressman Jeff Jackson; U.S. Congressman Don Davis; Kelliann Blazek, Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture and Rural Policy, The White House; Rachel Ferencik, Senior Program Officer, Centers for Disease Control Foundation; and U.S. Congresswoman Deborah Ross.
Community and advocacy organization speakers:
Mary Oxendine, Relationship Management Fellow, Potlikker Capital; Eric Wiebe, Member of the Leadership Committee, Emanuel Food Pantry; Justine Post, Program Director, Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA; Chef Rob Kinneen, Outreach Director and Native Alaskan Chef, NĀTIFS; Luis Guardia, President, Food Research & Action Center; Baldemar Velasquez, International President, Farm Labor Organizing Committee, FLOC – AFL-CIO; Maggie Funkhouser, Manager, Carrboro Farmers’ Market and Board Chair, The NC Farmers Market Network; Sean Sherman, Award-winning chef, educator, author, and activist, Executive Director, North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems; Zack Wyatt, President and CEO, Carolina Farm Trust; and Chris M. Collins, Associate Director of Health Care, The Duke Endowment.
Industry speakers:
Merry Davis, Healthy Food Director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield North Carolina Foundation; Debbie Hamrick, Director of Specialty Crops, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation; Jennifer Norka, Director of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs, American Frozen Food Institute; and Steven Jennings, Stakeholder Relations, Brand Lead, Health & Sustainability, Ahold Delhaize USA; and Luke Saunders, CEO and Founder, Farmers Fridge.
University speakers:
Norbert Wilson, Professor of Public Policy and Director, Duke World Food Policy Center, Duke University; Craig Albanese, CEO, Duke University Health System; Alice Ammerman, Director of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Gavan Fitzsimons, Professor, Duke Fuqua School of Business; Debra Clark Jones, Associate Vice President of Community Health, Duke University; Lauren Davis, Professor of Engineering, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; Ken Kolb, Professor of Sociology, Furman University; and Sean B. Cash, Professor of Global Nutrition, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
“EMPOWERING EATERS SUMMIT” INFORMATION
WHEN
Sunday, March 3, 2024 | 12:00pm – 7:30pm
Doors open at 12pm for a lunch followed by welcome remarks at 12:30pm.
After the speaking programs conclude, breakout conversations will commence at 4:45pm, followed by a closing reception at 5:45pm.
WHERE
Duke University West Campus, Fitzpatrick Building, Schiciano Auditorium
101 Science Drive, Research Dr, Durham, NC 27708
TICKETS
Tickets are FREE and include all-day complementary breakfast, lunch, snacks, drinks and reception.
Reserve tickets online for the in-person event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/empowering-eaters-access-affordability-healthy-choices-durham-tickets-780300679337
Press comps are available at the above link with code FoodTankMedia
Register for the online livestream here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/livestream-empowering-eaters-access-affordability-healthy-choices-tickets-790617918477
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
Any members of the media who are interested in speaking with event speakers or leadership, please contact Publicist Gabrielle Jaques at gabriellejaques1@gmail.com or 508-596-8008.
ABOUT FOOD TANK
Food Tank (foodtank.com) is one of the fastest-growing nonprofit organizations around food and agriculture issues, focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. Their work spotlights environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways of alleviating hunger, malnutrition, and poverty, and creates networks of people, organizations, and content to push for food system change. Food Tank highlights hope and success in agriculture. FoodTank.com
ABOUT DUKE SANFORD WORLD FOOD POLICY CENTER
The World Food Policy Center is a research, education, and convening organization within Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Our mission is researching policy so all people have access to nutritious and affordable food from a sustainable food system. Through our work, we explore human perspectives at each stage of problem analysis, solution design, and testing. We strive to uncover historical drivers of inequality and to bridge disconnected areas of food-related policy and practice intentionally. And, we seek to enhance community health and well-being by learning from and connecting with the people most affected by food system challenges. Our work centers on: food security; food policy evaluation; inequality in the food system; and resilient food system strategies to address food waste & loss, and climate change.
We catalyze innovative thinking and coordinated action to change policy and practice across the food system. To do this, we intentionally bridge the worlds of academia, industry, philanthropy, non-profits, governance, community, and culture. We conduct work at the global, national, and local levels in Durham and rural North Carolina. wfpc.sanford.duke.edu