A Letter from Lindsey: Reflecting on the future of our food systems

The following blog is an excerpt from our most recent newsletter. Although our newsletters are usually used for keeping our supporters informed of updates, we wanted to share this excerpt as a way to reflect on the urgency of the dynamics happening within our food systems currently. 

Dear Reader,

Happy New Year! The strides we made in 2021 felt like a dream, and I’m so excited for what 2022 has in store for Point of Origin.

Pictured: Cargo ships lined up at the Long Beach Port

As we roll through year two (and counting) of the pandemic, it feels like there are still so many concurrent global challenges to reckon with. It’s certainly an overwhelming time for people who work within or around food systems and supply chains. 

I live about two blocks away from the water in Long Beach, where I can see the shocking number of barges that have been lined up for months as they await entry into the Ports of LA and Long Beach. Anyone who has been to the grocery store recently has felt the sticker shock from the 22% jump in food prices due to inflation. Food bills are expected to continue rising another 14% this year. Growers and producers across value chains are feeling pinched from not reaping any benefits of these higher retail prices; the meat industries make for a great case study of this, where increasing corporate control and manipulation of the supply chain is undercutting the livelihoods of livestock farmers/ranchers (and their wiggle room to implement sustainable practices).

“As we navigate these dramatic cost increases and the increasing disruptions to food supply, it’s becoming more evident than ever that our food systems will need to change.”

I say all this not to frighten you, or to declare a doomsday, but instead to get real about why it’s so important for people to have a better understanding of how their food systems work. For me, it reinforces why I took this project on full-time and why our team believes in the work that we do. As we navigate these dramatic cost increases and the increasing disruptions to food supply, it’s becoming more evident than ever that our food systems will need to change. I believe that the way to helping people get on board with change is by creating a starting point through which anyone can understand how a process works. One of our goals via Point of Origin is to create access to food systems through showing the lived realities of those who produce food on a mass scale to meet global demand.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed during moments like these, and I’ve found it happening to myself a lot more than usual. But, what helps me pull out of that is remembering that these persistently unprecedented times can and should be a catalyst for learning and meaningful change. 

Always grateful for your support,

Lindsey