Food Justice: Where Policy Meets Practice

Womanly Chats
ssue No. 6: Food, Nutrition, and Access in Our Communities
Words - Amy Woehling
lllustration - Singha Hon

Christine Tran is the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC). She is an Angelena, born and raised in L.A. and a daughter of refugees. She is committed to increasing access to healthy food, expanding local opportunities, and building healthy communities.

Womanly Magazine editor amy woehling spoke with Christine Tran to discuss the role food and access has played in her life, and her work in developing more equitable food systems in and around Los Angeles County. 

amy woehling: Where does your journey begin and how did you get into your current position?

Christine Tran: I’m still trying to unpack my journey. I grew up poor, but never hungry because of social policy programs. I never knew it at the time, but I was a free lunch kid and WIC baby. To be hungry is tragic and painful. I reflect on my own journey and the spectrum of experiences around food. My parents survived war and poverty so I could thrive. As an Asian American child of refugees, food is what brought my family together. Food is more than something you buy—it’s a sacred experience. I'm passionate about food—from the germination of seeds to the science and the policies behind our food system.

My career path is a little bit of everything because I've been curious about the world and ran with it. As a teacher, I realized that my students were hungry. I wondered why the school food program was failing my students. This sparked my interest in school food as a research topic and career path. That’s when I moved into policy work, and it’s been my fundamental goal to undo the horrible things that have been done to our food system in a restorative way.

amy: What role does the LAFPC play in changing our food system?

Christine: The answer to systemic change is greater than me. Restorative justice is not a single policy. It must include practice. LAFPC works at the intersection of policy and practice. I share with folks that we can't be everything for everybody, but we are a little bit of everything—like our food sector. I can go anywhere from discussing cover crops with farmers to talking about produce procurement for small businesses. The cornerstone of the LAFPC is our Working Groups. They are a cross-sector collaboration that connects the different perspectives within our food system.

We also help consumers learn where their food comes from. Knowing this provides a level of food empathy that is critical for our work. It reminds us that the money we spend and the labor behind food matters. It helps us reduce waste and be more conscious eaters by encouraging consumers to choose what is responsible and ethical. We need more stories to create empathy. LAFPC shares stories with policy folks and communities.

amy: What is food apartheid and how is that different than a food desert?

Christine: Food apartheid speaks to the systemic inequities around food, while food desert and foods swamps speak to the characteristics. In communities like South L.A., food swamps and food deserts coexist: you get a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables (food desert), but you also get overloaded with fast food restaurants (food swamps). Food apartheid speaks to the racial injustice of our food system. Disproportionate rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and chronic illnesses in communities of color are just a few of the outcomes of food apartheid. 

amy: What would food justice look like in the United States?

Christine: We have to think about our geographies. For example, L.A. County is larger than 43 states with over 80 school districts. We have urban, suburban, and rural areas. So, I believe that options are everything; but the people with the most money tend to have the most options, and these options look different in an affluent community than in a low income one. It all comes down to access and resources. We need economic development that centers community voices to transform the choices available in low income neighborhoods. 

amy: Are there any other food justice initiatives that excite you?

Christine: At the LAFPC, we have our Healthy Neighborhood Market Network. We work with neighborhood markets to build their capacity to be healthy retail markets. Small businesses need to know how to purchase and store fresh fruits and vegetables. Providing customers with healthier choices is systemic change. Food justice means we have options for all of our communities. It also means allowing communities to define what it is that they need and providing the resources to achieve it. The movement has to be built for and led by the community.  At the end of the day, it's about building generational wealth. I see a corner store having fresh fruits and vegetables not only as food access but also as community investment. It means that the capital can stay in the community so families can stay, grow, and thrive. 

amy: How can folks engage in the fight for an equitable food system in the US?

Christine: To be a critical agent of change, you have to start with your own level of awareness. Learn more about your situation and the situation of other communities. Know what are the things that you can and cannot change by yourself. If I don't have a direct connection to an answer, I'm going to find somebody that does. This is where cross-sector and cross-regional conversations are helpful. Change is not something we do on our own but is a collective experience. We’re not going to get there unless we’re aware of ourselves and the systems that need to change.

amy: How do you protect your mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health?

Christine: I describe it like an inhale and exhale. When you're doing things that take up energy it's like an inhale; you're taking in information and feelings. The exhale is like the outlet. I use creative spaces as outlets. I joined a virtual womxn’s art group where everyone is working on something different. My practice is water-coloring and drawing. I have a notebook that I fill with at least one drawing a week. It's my time to just let my creative energy flow. I also do digital storytelling through my writing and photography. I use Instagram as a visual narrative, and lately I've been reflecting on travel photos and capturing what I was thinking at the time the photo was taken. So those are the exhales for me. I use my creative outlets to feel whole.