Food is deeply personal. That’s what so many of us love about it: What we eat is directly linked to our daily social lives and economic livelihoods, our family traditions, and our cultural values. But this truth also means we cannot ignore politics, because food makes politics and food systems advocacy into something inescapably personal.

Because Food Tankers put food and agriculture systems front-and-center, we cannot afford to tune out what’s happening in legislatures and Capitol buildings, even during federal budget negotiations or shutdowns. Tense political debates hit close to home when they force us to question whether parents can afford to feed their families; how climate change will hurt farmers’ livelihoods; whether students can access nourishing school meals; or whether health care systems will be able to truly care for us.

That’s why now feels more urgent than ever to convene our inaugural annual Food and Agriculture Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., alongside the Global Food Institute at GW, the Culinary Institute of America, and acclaimed chef José Andrés and in collaboration with Driscoll’s, Meatable, and Oatly, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, and Instacart for food systems advocacy.

The Summit is on October 28, and you can find more info HERE and plan to join via livestream HERE.

“Food is so much more than the calories we eat. It’s about creating empowerment, strengthening communities, and building a better future,” says chef José Andrés, Founder of the Global Food Institute at GW. “Now is the moment to be building longer tables where we put food at the center of solving our greatest challenges.”

We’re going to explore practical and actionable policy ideas focused on driving change through procurement, industry innovation, nutrition as health, climate resilience, addressing food loss and waste, reimagining global food aid, and much more.

We’re bringing together chefs, farmers, elected officials, economists, business leaders, doctors, journalists, and other experts. We’re not all on the same side of the political aisle. We won’t agree all the time—and that’s the point. Durable, positive, long-lasting food systems transformation requires us to come together, find common ground and shared goals, and work in good faith to nourish our communities.

Read the full article about uniting around food systems advocacy by Danielle Nierenberg at Food Tank.