Whole Foods Market® is excited to carry the award-winning DVD Nourish: Food + Community, hosted and narrated by actress Cameron Diaz. Look for it in our stores now. Kirk Bergstrom, director of the film and the Nourish initiative, talks about the opportunity to increase food literacy in our homes, schools, and communities.How often do you stop and wonder: What’s the story of my food? Where did it come from, and how did it get to me? At the Nourish initiative opens in a new tab, we’re passionate about food literacy. Our simple definition: “Understanding the story of our food from farm to table and back to the soil.” What could be more important to the health of our families, our communities, and our environment?
With beautiful visuals and inspiring stories, the Nourish: Food + Community DVD opens in a new tab traces our relationship to food from a global perspective to personal action steps. It features leading voices from the food movement — best-selling author Michael Pollan, Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters, British chef Jamie Oliver, and healthy food advocate Anna Lappé.With a distinctly positive vision, Nourish celebrates both food and community. As Michael Pollan says in the film: “Food is not just fuel. Food is about family, food is about community, food is about identity. And we nourish all of those things when we eat well.” We’re committed to food literacy being an essential part of the learning experience. Since launching in 2011, the Nourish initiative has served more than 10,000 educators and 2 million students nationwide.
The Nourish curriculum opens in a new tab (a free download) lets students explore such themes as Story of Food, Seasonal and Local Food, Food Traditions, Food Advertising and Healthy School Lunch. Dr. Susan Rubin, founder of Better School Food, speaks to the value of teaching food literacy in schools: “Nourish gives students the critical thinking skills that will empower them for the rest of their lives.” This is a key investment in our future.
If you’re looking for ways to increase food literacy in your family, I also recommend our collection of 27 short films opens in a new tab. These bite-sized videos are perfect for starting a conversation about good food at your table. Sample topics such as Cooking Together, Edible Education, and Whole and Healthy. Then translate the ideas into new practices that nourish your family.
What will it take to create a truly sustainable food future? I believe it begins with a shift in food culture, the shared values and traditions we hold around food. This means understanding the story of our food in a new way, recognizing that we are intimately connected to the people and processes that affect what we eat.
I invite you to be an advocate for food literacy. Get the Nourish DVD, and share it with your family and friends. Then donate it to a local school, non-profit organization, or congregation. Pay it forward, and start a ripple that will be felt around the world.
Do you talk to your family and friends about food? I’d love to hear your conversation starters and ideas for sharing the concept of food literacy.
For more information about the Nourish initiative, please visit nourishlife.org opens in a new tab.
