New Alliance Calls for Turning the Tables on the Food Crisis

The US Food Sovereignty Alliance has united to end hunger and poverty by rebuilding local food economies. It is calling on all food justice groups to join the global movement for food sovereignty - the people's democratic control of the food system, the right of all people to healthy, culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems. Emerging out of the US Working Group on the Food Crisis, of which WhyHunger was a founding member, the Alliance's launch will be marked by a demonstration on World Food Day, Oct. 16th, where the Alliance will join discriminated and exploited restaurant workers from the Restaurant Opportunities Center in New Orleans (ROC-NY). The demonstration is the highlight of a weeklong Call to Action that began with thousands of actions all over the world as part of "10/10/10", the Global Work Party to Tackle Climate Change,

The Alliance is made up of religious, anti-hunger, international development, family farm, farm worker, food worker,, food justice, labor, consumer, and environmental groups from across the US. According to WhyHunger Global Movements Director Christina Schiavoni, "We're asserting that it's time to turn the tables on our corporate-driven food system. Through food sovereignty, the world can feed everyone-- instead of the few "feeding" the world. We need to take back control of our food, land, water, and seeds." The Alliance will build solidarity with farmers and food activists worldwide by promoting US trade and agricultural policies that support local food systems and local economies .

During the week of action, which began on Oct. 10 and will end Oct. 17, the Alliance is calling on concerned individuals and organizations to help build power and educate the nation on food sovereignty by activities like hosting a dinner party with neighbors and serving local food; sharing information on the root causes of hunger; and discussing ways to bring food sovereignty to the US. Everyone is encouraged to get involved with organizations in their towns or neighborhoods. Visit the Alliance's website for more information about suggested actions and events for the Week of Action, as well as a list of what organizations are already doing, at www.usfoodsovereigntyalliance.org.

To find out more about the week of action, contact Tristan Quinn-Thibodeau, WhyHunger, at tristan@whyhunger.org, (646) 380-1162; or Stephen Bartlett, Agricultural Missions, at sbartlett@ag-missions.org, (502) 896-9171. For more information about WhyHunger, visit www.whyhunger.org. For more information about the demonstration on New Orleans, contact ROC-NOLA at rocnola@gmail.com or 504-821-7044.