Food studies is an interdisciplinary and expanding field, motivated by increasing social and academic interests in the biosocial aspects surrounding food production, provisioning, eating, health and waste.

This past year culminated with a proof of concept for the website No Free Lunch a platform that focuses on mapping the context and content of climate change issues, beginning locally with New York stakeholders and organizations working to address climate and environment related impact on our food system. The interactive platform lets users see a broad and holistic view of the city’s food and waste systems, its connectors and the many ways in which individuals can participate in learning, supporting and engaging with progressive models for improvement and interventions.

We will continue to work on this platform and use it to investigate food production alternatives, such as urban agriculture and the role of cities in food production, and how changing food consumption patterns are associated with climate change. Members will meet to share their research projects, teaching activities, and community outreach. The group will organize visits from outside speakers, continue to develop the site for external funding, and communicate scholarly knowledge to broader audiences through the platform as well as  public events.