MEDIA ADVISORY: ‘Hunger in America’ is Subject of National Symposium Hosted at MU

Story Contact(s):
Christian Basi, BasiC@missouri.edu, 573-882-4430

WHAT: Hunger in America, its causes, consequences and possible solutions will be the topic of a national symposium, Food Insecurity: Assessing Disparities, Consequences and Policies, hosted by the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources this week.

Researchers from institutions across the country, including Tufts University, Oregon State University, and the universities of Ohio, Connecticut, South Carolina and Minnesota, will meet with staff from the USDA, the Food Research and Action Center, and community program initiatives. The summit is designed to be a dialogue between people who work with food insecurity directly and researchers who can use information from the food insecurity workers to create better research models.

Topics to be discussed include: obstacles to food availability, distribution and affordability; the physical and mental health impacts of a lack of food; the societal and economic consequences of food insecurity; and the effectiveness of governmental programs that work to prevent hunger.

WHO: Speakers include:

• Patricia Allen, chair of the Department of Food Systems and Society, Marylhurst University. Allen will present, “Service Food Justice,” and discuss inequality in food labor.

• David Holben, acting associate dean of the College of Health Sciences and Professions, Ohio University. Holben studies food insecurity and says hunger and an epidemic lack of food exist in the United States.

WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 17 through Friday, Oct. 19

Allen will speak at 7 p.m., Oct. 17 in Stotler Lounge in Memorial Union, MU campus

Holben will speak at 4 p.m., Oct. 18, in Stotler Lounge in Memorial Union, MU campus.

WHERE: MU campus. For a full schedule, please visit: http://foodsecurity.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Food-Insecurity-Symposium-Schedule_Final.pdf

NOTE: MU’s Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security is coordinating the event. Food insecurity affects approximately 48 million Americans and has negative nutritional and non-nutritional outcomes on individuals across the nation. The symposium is funded by a Mizzou Advantage grant and the Chancellor’s Fund for Excellence and is designed to take previous MU food insecurity research in Missouri to a national level.