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Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health
Steinhardt School / New York University
FOOD-GE.2040: FOOD ADVOCACY
Spring 2014
Registration information
3 credits
Time: Mondays, 4:55 – 6:35 p.m.
Place: G-Cas (Thompson @ Washington Square South) room 288
Instructor: Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public
Health. marion.nestle@nyu.edu (and see www.foodpolitics.com). Office hours are most Mondays
before class by appointment (via e-mail), at 411 Lafayette, 5th Floor.
Teaching Assistant/Co-Instructor: Daniel Bowman Simon E-mail: dbs207 AT nyu dot edu
Office hours: Tuesdays 3-4 pm at 411 Lafayette, 5th Floor, or by appointment, telephone, or Skype.
NOTE: All e-mails to instructors should begin with FA14 in the subject line.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND INTRODUCTION
Food advocacy is based on the premise that human activities—including those related to food--are
influenced by social groups and institutions and can, therefore, be changed through political
processes. Food advocates, like other stakeholders in the food economy, use methods of social
change to influence how food is produced and consumed, and how it affects human health, wellbeing,
and the environment. This course focuses on how to use those methods to effect change in systems
of food production and consumption to make them healthier for people and the planet.
Course
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objectives
Identify problems in the food system that demand advocacy.
Identify goals for food advocacy (the “ask” or solution to the problem).
Analyze the chain of causation of food system problems.
Distinguish between short- and long-term, “upstream” and “downstream” advocacy goals.
Identify targets (people, organizations, government agencies) of advocacy.
Identify stakeholders in the issue (those affected, on all sides).
Identify resources—people, information, funding—to support and promote food advocacy.
Identify structural, political, and personal barriers to food advocacy.
Describe the methods used by food advocates to achieve goals and overcome barriers.
Explain how food advocacy theory applies to practice.
Describe how advocates frame (“brand”) food advocacy issues.
Distinguish the roles of individuals, groups, and coalitions in food advocacy.
Describe methods for evaluating the effectiveness of food advocacy.
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READINGS (FOOD ADVOCACY THEORY)
The course requires extensive reading as a basis for class discussion and advocacy work. All
students are expected to do the reading for every class, to try to make sense of it, and to
contribute related thoughts, comments, and questions to class sessions.
Books: The course texts represent distinct, current points of view on food issues and what
needs to be done about them. Copies are or will be available at the bookstore and on reserve at
Bobst Library. Focus your reading on the parts of the books most relevant to your personal
advocacy goals.
 Counihan C, Siniscalchi V, eds. Food Activism. Bloomsbury, 2014. Available January 31.
 Hauter W. Foodopoly. New Press, 2012
 Nestle M. Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine. UC Press, 2008
 Simon M. Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to
Fight Back. Nation Books, 2006
 Saul N, Curtis A. The Stop: How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and
Inspired a Movement. Melville House, 2013
 Berg J. All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America. Seven Stories, 2008
Online texts
 Dorfman L, Sorenson S, Wallack L. Working Upstream: Skills for Social Change, Berkeley
Media Studies Group, 2009.
http://bmsg.org/sites/default/files/bmsg_handbook_working_upstream.pdf
 Boyd A, Mitchell DO, eds. Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution. OR Books, 2012.
http://beautifultrouble.org/all-modules/
Papers and other materials: Additional articles are posted on NYU Classes if they are not
linked to Internet URLs.
Current events: Read a daily newspaper or news source of your choice—in hard copy or online—
to keep up with current events related to class topics.
Speakers: People actively engaged in food advocacy work will be invited to speak to the class
over the course of the semester.
Guidelines: In all reading and lectures for this class, focus on:
 What problem does the advocacy address?
 What is the advocacy goal? Is it policy, program, or service? Upstream or downstream?
 What is the rationale for the goal?
 What is the target of the advocacy?
 What is the approach of the advocacy? Is it warrior, builder, weaver? Other?
 What is the “frame” for the advocacy?
 What is the call to action (the “ask”)?
 How is the advocacy funded?
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ADVOCACY WORK (PRACTICAL APPLICATION)
This course is experiential as well as didactic. It requires students to work in teams of 3 to
identify a food system problem (challenge, issue, concern), select a goal for addressing that
problem, engage in advocating for that goal, and evaluate the advocacy experience. To do this, you
will:
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Define a food system problem—health, social, economic, political—that can be addressed by
some kind of change.
Work out the chain of causation of that problem.
Choose a goal for the change along the chain of causation that is the best—or the most
practical or politically feasible—way to solve the problem.
Do the research and establish a well-documented, factual basis for your concern about the
problem and your choice of advocacy goal.
Identify the target—the person, agency, or institution with the authority or power to make
the change.
Identify allies—individuals, groups, resources--who can help support and promote your
cause.
Develop an advocacy plan that outlines what you will do.
Create messages (“frames”) that describe the problem, the solution, and why addressing the
problem matters.
Determine actions—i.e., letters, demonstrations, use of social media, lobbying--that can
convey these messages to your target
Take these actions.
Evaluate how well the actions worked to achieve your goal.
Write about all this in an advocacy case study.
Advice: Keep a running log of what your team does (a two-column table listing date and activity, for
example). Start collecting print, internet, media, and advocacy group resources on your topic to be
turned in with the final project.
CLASS EXPECTATIONS
 You are expected to attend class. Inform instructors in advance by e-mail if you are not
going to be able to. We assume you have a good reason, so no need to explain.
 Class begins on time: arrive on time.
 Inform instructor in advance if you need to leave early.
 No cell phones, texting, e-mail, or internet browsing, please.
 Complete assigned work on time; there will be penalties for late work.
 Plan ahead: no incomplete grades are given (except in dire, documented emergencies).
 Take responsibility for your own learning. Do the reading. If you don’t understand
something, ask. If something isn’t working, complain (politely, of course).
 Most of all enjoy the course. Have fun seeing how much advocating you can accomplish in
one semester.
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COURSE OUTLINE
CLASS
TOPIC
1.
January 27
Introduction
ASSIGNMENTS
Note: Unless URLs are given, readings are available online in NYU Classes
or are in assigned books.
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2.
February 3
Food advocacy:
Overview
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Optional
February
8-9
Creative Activism
Training:
Workshop
3.
February 10
Identifying goals
and targets:
chains of
causation
(upstream,
downstream)
President’s Day
holiday
No class
February 17
Nestle M. Foreword to Fairfax SK et al. California Cuisine and
Just Food. MIT Press, 2012:xi-xiv.
Kahn H. Alice Waters makes the world a more edible place.
WSJ, November 6, 2013.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303376
904579137630815409064 (also posted).
Andy Fisher on the future of the food movement. February 17,
2011.
http://www.foodandcommunityfellows.org/blog/2011/andyfisher-on-the-future-of-the-food-movement
Stevenson GW, Ruhf K, Lezberg S, Clancy K. Warrior, Builder,
and Weaver Work: Strategies for Changing the Food System. In:
Hinrichs CC, Lyson TA, eds. Remaking the North American Food
System. U. Nebraska Press, 2007: 33-62.
Ackerman-Leist P. Collaborative possibilities. In: Rebuilding the
Foodshed: How to Create Local, Sustainable, and Secure Food
Systems. Chelsea Green, 2013: 233-253.
Working Upstream, Lessons 1, 5-9.
http://bmsg.org/sites/default/files/bmsg_handbook_working_up
stream.pdf. NOTE: All will be reassigned later on.
Free to NYU students but registration required at
http://yeslab.org/training
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Food Activism. Read chapters 1-4, 8, 12, 13. Browse the rest.
In class: team formation
Read Foodopoly over the break: Focus on Intro, Parts I, II, and VII.
Choose one other part: III (organics), IV (safety), V (factory farms), or
VI (GMOs). Browse the rest.
DUE from teams by Feb 23, 10:00 pm: The title page: Names of team
members, problem, frame, chain of causation, advocacy goal
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4.
February 24
5.
March 3
Identifying goals,
establishing
facts, continued
Identifying goals,
establishing
facts, continued
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Advocate: Daniel Bowman Simon: White House garden, NYU garden,
SnapGardens
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March 10
Identifying goals,
establishing
facts, continued
Foodopoly
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Pet Food Politics: The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine: This is a quick
read; skim the parts that slow you down.
Explore topics covered on Bill Marler’s blog site:
http://www.marlerblog.com/
Explore FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/default.htm
Appetite for Profit : focus on Intro, Chapters 1-4, 13, & Appendix
1, 3, 4. Browse other parts.
Guest advocate: Tanya Fields, Executive Director of the BLK PROJEK.
http://theblkprojek.org/initiatives/
No class
March 17
7.
March 24
Spring break
Case study:
hunger
Do the reading for the next class
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The Stop: Focus on Prologue, Chapters 1-4, 9-10. Browse the
rest.
Joel Berg. All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America. Seven
Stories, 2008. Focus on chapters 6,8-10,12-15, Appendix A, B.
Browse: Beyond the Food Drive: Toolkit
http://nyccah.org/files/BeyondtheFoodDrive_FullHandbook.pdf
DUE: Title page plus Goal Rationale plus Advocacy Plan: Problem,
frame, chain of causation, advocacy goal; draft of summary of the
rationale for the goal, its target, and potential barriers; with draft of
Advocacy Plan as an attachment.
8.
March 31
Strategies and
tactics
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Working Upstream, Lesson 5: 93-136.
http://bmsg.org/sites/default/files/bmsg_handbook_working_up
stream.pdf.
Alinsky SD. Tactics. In Rules for Radicals: A Practical Primer for
Realistic Radicals. Vintage, 1971:125-134 (excerpt).
Beautiful Trouble: Tactics. http://beautifultrouble.org/allmodules
Guest advocate: Hnin Hnin, ROC United, http://rocunited.org/
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9.
April 7
Forging alliances,
organizing
communities
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10.
April 14
Lobbying
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Viertel J. Beyond voting with your fork. In: Holt-Giménez E, ed.
Food Movements Unite!, 2011.
Working Upstream, Lessons 6: 137-158 and 7: 159-178.
http://bmsg.org/sites/default/files/bmsg_handbook_working_up
stream.pdf
Browse: Kansas State Community Toolbox
http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents.
Beautiful Trouble: Principles. http://beautifultrouble.org/allmodules
Fission Strategy. The Advocacy Gap: Research for Better
Advocacy.
Friends Committee on National Legislation. Meeting with
members of Congress and congressional staff.
http://fcnl.org/resources/toolkit/meet_congress/. Read: Eight
Tips for a Successful Lobby Visit, 2006.
http://fcnl.org/assets/flyer/lobby_flyer1105.pdf.
Congressional Management Foundation: Influencing Public Policy
from Your Front Porch, 2013.
Browse: OpenSecrets.org website
DUE: Title page, Background, Goal Rationale, Advocacy Plan: What
you have already submitted plus draft of research basis of the problem
with citations to reference sources; draft and log of what your team has
done to date.
Guest advocate: Robert LaValva, New Amsterdam market
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April 21
Using media:
frames
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Working Upstream, Chapter 8: 179-202.
http://bmsg.org/sites/default/files/bmsg_handbook_working_up
stream.pdf
Strom S. Social media as a megaphone to push food makers to
change. NYT, December 31, 2013.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/business/media/socialmedia-as-a-megaphone-to-push-food-makers-tochange.html?hpw&rref=technology&_r=0
George Lakoff and Berkeley Media Studies Group: Framing the
issues: Food Day webinar, July 17, 2013, view Video or Slides.
Berkeley Media Studies Group: Framing brief.
O’Connor C. New app Buycott lets users protest Koch brothers,
Monsanto and more. Huffington Post, January 11, 2014.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/15/buycottapp_n_3279214.html?utm_hp_ref=business.
Beautiful Trouble: Theories. http://beautifultrouble.org/allmodules
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12.
April 28
Evaluating
achievement
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Working Upstream, Chapter 9: 203-236.
http://bmsg.org/sites/default/files/bmsg_handbook_working_up
stream.pdf
Grassroots-Led Campaigns (petitions)
http://www.mobilisationlab.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/01/MobLab-Grassroots-led-CampaignsReport_FINAL.pdf
North Star Fund: Final report form
Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund report form
Guest advocate: Raymond Figueroa-Reyes, New York City Community
Garden Coalition, http://www.nyccgc.org.
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May 5
Funding advocacy
work
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14.
May 12
No class
May 19
Class
presentations
4:00 p.m.
Winne M. The fundraising letter I’d like to receive, October 15,
2013 http://www.markwinne.com/the-fundraising-letter-id-liketo-receive/.
Fisher A. Excerpts from course syllabus.
Fisher A. Growing Power Takes Massive Contribution from WalMart: A Perspective on Money and the Movement, September 16,
2011.
http://civileats.com/2011/09/16/growing-power-takes-massivecontribution-from-wal-mart-a-perspective-on-money-and-themovement/.
Foundation Center. Key facts on corporate foundations, 2012.
http://foundationcenter.org/gainknowledge/research/pdf/keyfac
ts_corp2012.pdf.
Foundation Center, New York. , New York
http://foundationcenter.org/newyork.
Community Food Funders, New York.
http://www.communityfoodfunders.org.
American Heart Association, Healthy Food Financing Toolkit
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Advocate/VoicesforHealthyKi
ds/Voices-for-Healthy-Kids-Healthy-Food-FinancingToolkit_UCM_459183_Article.jsp
DUE: Final advocacy project
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EVALUATION
1. Attendance and participation (45%)
This is based on your presence in class, your contribution to class discussion, your weekly posts on
Google Moderator, your completion of assignments on time, and your work on your advocacy plan (as
graded by team members).
Weekly posts
Every week, starting immediately, you will post two short comments and/or questions (250
characters or less each) about the readings on Google Moderator. A private link will be sent by
email each week after class. Questions and comments should address matters covered in the
reading that you think need clarification, explanation, alternative hypotheses, or further discussion.
These will help guide in-class discussions each week.
DUE: You must post by Sunday night 10 pm. You will then receive an e-mail to come back to
the link and vote for your favorite posts by Monday noon. You may also comment on your colleagues’
postings. Postings after deadline will not be credited.
2. Advocacy case study (55%)
Teams will submit drafts of various pieces of the final project by the dates indicated. Some of
these may be graded, but teams will have the opportunity to revise all pieces for the final projects
and grade.
The various pieces will be discussed in class during the semester but the final project will include:
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Title page: problem, frame, chain of causation, advocacy goal, and approach.
Background: summary of the research basis of the problem with citations to reference
sources. 4-5 pages
Goal: summary of rationale for the goal, its target, and potential barriers. 1-2 pages
Advocacy actions: summary of what your team did. 2-3 pages
Evaluation and analysis. 3-5 pages
References to text
Advocacy plan
Team products: letters, op-eds, documents, etc.
Running log
List of organizations, books, films, resources
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Submission Guidelines
Please submit all assignments to NYUClasses “Assignments” tab no later than 4:00 pm on date for
which that assignment is due. Please see the “Course Outline” section above or the NYUClasses
“Assignments” page for these due dates.
When submitting anything via e-mail, please attach your assignment as a Word document with a file
name according to the following format:
Individuals: Subject line: FA14 LastName.FirstName_AssignmentName
Example: Smith.John_AdvocacyGoal.doc
Groups: Subject line: FA14GroupNumberOrName_Assignment_Date
If your paper includes several parts--such as an appendix, log sheet, or list of references--please
include all parts in one document, using a "page break" to separate pages (rather than including
these as separate attachments). For group assignments, only one person needs to upload to NYU
Classes.
Writing Instructions
We want to be able to give you plenty of feedback on your work. To make it easier for us to do
this, please follow these guidelines.
 Put your name and e-mail address on the first page. These can be on one line (reason: so we
can give you immediate feedback without having to look up your address)
 Give the requested information explicitly using titles.
Examples: Problem: Obesity
Advocacy goal: Limit soda sizes to 16 ounces
Chain of causation: Large sodasExcessive caloriesObesity
Advocacy goal: Restrict food marketing to children
Chain of causation: Marketing  Demand  Purchase  Consumption  Excessive
calories  childhood obesity
 Title your paper.
 Format your text to be double-spaced, one-inch margins, two spaces between sentences.
 Do not use right justification (an even right-hand margin).
 Do use both the grammar and spell checks on your word processor.
 Use a reference style that involves Arabic numerals (not roman) in the text with embedded
references as endnotes (not footnotes). If you do not know how to do this, ask. It’s easy to
learn and will save you lots of time and space.
 Do not convert your file to pdf.
 Save your file using this format: LastName_FirstName_AssignmentName
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RESOURCES: SUGGESTIONS FOR GETTING STARTED
Advocacy Issues
 Obesity: IASO (International Association for the Study of Obesity)
http://www.iaso.org/site_media/uploads/IASO-Advocacy-toolkit-Oct13.pdf
 Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: ChangeLab Toolkit
http://changelabsolutions.org/publications/ssb-playbook
 Marketing to children http://www.foodmarketing.org/take-action/
 Ending food deserts: American Heart Association toolkit
http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heartpublic/@wcm/@adv/documents/downloadable/ucm_459172.pdf.
 GMO labeling: http:www.justlabelit.org
Blogs dealing with advocacy issues
 Mark Bittman http://bittman.blogs.nytimes.com/
 Barry Estabrook http://politicsoftheplate.com/
 Bill Marler http://www.marlerblog.com/
 Tom Philpott http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott
 Michele Simon: http://www.appetiteforprofit.com
Advocacy groups (general)
 In summer 2012, Vivian Wang, an NYU undergraduate, identified food advocacy groups and
organized them as an Excel spreadsheet by categories in tabs at the bottom.
 The Harvard Food Law Society has a career guide to relevant organizations, also by
category.
 Food Tank has a list of 101 food organizations
Advocacy groups (national examples)
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Berkeley Media Studies Group (advocacy through media) http://www.bmsg.org/
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California Center for Public Health Advocacy http://www.publichealthadvocacy.org/
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI): http://www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy
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Environmental Working Group http://ewg.org/
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Food Policy Action http://www.foodpolicyaction.org/
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Food and Water Watch http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/
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Food Research and Action Center http://frac.org/
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Food Tank http://foodtank.org/
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy: http://www.iatp.org/
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition: http://sustainableagriculture.net/
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity: http://www.yaleruddcenter.org
U.S. government food and nutrition websites
 Nutrition.gov http://www.nutrition.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=11&tax_level=1
 Food and Nutrition Information Center, National Agricultural Library
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?tax_level=1&info_center=4
 USDA policy topics: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Browse/view.aspx?subject=PolicyTopics
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FDA food regulation: http://www.fda.gov/Food/default.htm
FTC regulatory policies: http://www.ftc.gov/
Legislation tracking
 Congress: http://www.govtrack.us/
 Food Policy Action: http://www.foodpolicyaction.org/
Lobbying and Campaign Contribution tracking
 Center for Responsive Politics, Open Secrets http://www.opensecrets.org/
 Sunlight Foundation, Open Congress http://www.opencongress.org/
International organizations
 Food and Agriculture Organization (U.N.)
 World Health Organization (U.N.)
 International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)