This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

A Time to Advocate for Better Food Policy

The results of the election show what we can accomplish with grass-roots organizing for better food in our homes and schools.

Visit our Reston Market
Wednesday 3–6 p.m. 
12001 Sunrise Valley Dr.
Map

If this election has taught us anything other than that too much money is being spent on these things, it is that good old grassroots organizing trumps big money every time. The key word here is "organizing" -- not the facade of organization but the use of available data to set goals and establish priorities followed by a team-based, on-the-ground, person-to-person effort to be heard. Nowadays "on the ground" can include the use of social media, but it will always require personal contact and follow-up.

Those of us who want to see change in our national food policy as well as the diets of our fellow Americans have the opportunity now to gear up and stand up for what we would like to change. The GMO-labeling initiative in California failed, but we can still learn from that campaign. For starters, we need better lunches in our schools, more education about how our diets affect our health as individuals and as a nation, and a better Farm Bill. And we need to learn now to advocate for what we want.

Find out what's happening in Restonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Shopping at a farmers' market won't solve the nation's problems, but it does bring you together with other people in your local community who probably feel the same way you do about these issues. If you are inclined to advocacy, take that into account. I encourage you to use that access, that goodwill and the resources of Smart Markets and work together to make your voices heard at all levels of government. I promise you that someone is listening.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?