There are a variety of policy solutions that have the potential to help elevate and preserve Black cuisine and resolve inequities faced by Black Americans in the American food system. This post will explore ideas that relate to the preservation of Black culinary tradition, supporting Black farmers and culinary professionals, and increasing the access of culturally-relevant foods to Black communities in order to honor the richness of America’s culinary landscape.
Preservation of Black Culinary Traditions
The preservation of Black culinary traditions is important to ensure that Black communities are able to celebrate their cultural heritage and to allow for greater recognition of Black people’s contributions to the culinary world. Initiatives like funding programs and grants to support culinary research, education, and documentation of traditional Black food practices could help with this cultural preservation. Furthermore, educational initiatives that introduce Black American cuisine into school curricula have the ability to educate young people about the cuisine’s significance and influence on American food. FoodCorps is an AmeriCorps grantee that has begun undertaking this type of initiative. During black history month of this year (February 2023), the organization held educational programming at elementary schools which taught black history through a culinary lens.
Supporting Black Farmers and Food Producers
To help remedy the continued disadvantages that Black farmers face, government programs that provide financial support, access to land, loans, and technical assistance to Black farmers are needed. The newly re-introduced Justice for Black Farmers Act in 2023 attempts to remedy the continued injustice, but is unclear whether the bill has any legs. A prior iteration of the bill in 2021 failed to gain significant traction. One interesting aspect of the bill is that it emphasizes farmer education. Making an effort to educate Black people who have no farming background is likely needed to encourage more people to enter this line of work. The barrier to entry becomes too high when achieving loans or investment is contingent on the farmer having many years of experience.
In addition to supporting Black farmers, initiatives are also needed to support other Black food producers like consumer packaged goods (CPG) entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, and other culinary professionals. By providing financial support, technical assistance, and mentorship programs for aspiring Black culinary professionals, this can help foster economic development and entrepreneurship within Black communities. Organizations like BCAGlobal run educational programs that target BIPOC food professionals in an attempt to help achieve racial equality in the culinary industry. There appears to be a need for governments to institute and support initiatives like this along with business incubators, microloans, and grant programs that encourage Black culinary entrepreneurship. The New York City Food Policy Center highlighted a policy initiative called Black Food Fridays, which promotes Black-owned culinary businesses each Friday through social media and encourages people to explore them. Initiatives like this can help promote Black cuisine to a wider audience, with the hopes of supporting Black business owners and fostering their business’s stability and impact.
Facilitating Culturally-Relevant Food Access
Finally, the government should prioritize initiatives that facilitate culturally-relevant food access to combat the issue of cultural erasure and culturally insensitive nutrition guidelines. 21% of Black Americans live in areas deemed ‘food deserts’ according to the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility, and “counties with higher-than-average Black populations tend to have more convenience stores and fewer fresh food options compared to counties with lower-than-average Black populations”. Therefore, placing Black-run farmers’ markets and urban farms in Black communities that do not have easy access to quality food would likely help facilitate more healthy and culturally-relevant foods to those communities. Policies that incentivize the establishment of grocery stores in underserved areas and incentivize the inclusion of culturally-relevant ingredients in those grocery stores would also likely be beneficial.
Furthermore, culturally-sensitive school food policies that take into account Black Americans’ culinary traditions (like the inclusion of traditional Black American dishes and ingredients) and nutrition policies that incorporate healthy Black American dishes and ingredients as part of a healthy diet will likely help bridge the gap between cultural heritage and healthy eating. This would create a unique opportunity to promote nourishment that is both culturally significant and nutritionally balanced. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, signed into law by President Obama in 2010, aims to encourage the incorporation of culturally-diverse foods into public school meals by allowing schools the “flexibility to prepare meals that are familiar to kids from culturally diverse backgrounds”. The inclusion of culturally-relevant foods in schools and nutrition policies can help demonstrate the healthfulness of traditional Black food to help combat harmful stereotypes. Furthermore, the inclusion would also likely demonstrate the cuisine’s relevance to and impact on the broader landscape of American cuisine.
Conclusion
Throughout “High on the Hog,” we are introduced to a variety of Black farmers, chefs, culinary historians, and food entrepreneurs showcasing the diversity and brilliance of Black cuisine and its significance to the fabric of American culinary history. As we look toward the future, there are a wide range of policy solutions that can help preserve and elevate Black cuisine as well as solve the inequities faced by Black Americans within the U.S. food system. A multi-pronged approach is likely needed, from educational initiatives to increasing funding that flows to Black food professionals. Through strategic initiatives, we can work toward ensuring that the culinary legacy of Black food continues to be honored and celebrated, which will further amplify America’s culinary landscape.
This blog post was written by Amber Ward, a law student at UCLA School of Law and research assistant with the Resnick Center for Food Law & Policy.
On Food Law 