One of the nation’s leading experts on food safety and nutrition will present a virtual lecture at the University of Georgia as the inaugural Food, Power, and Politics Lecture, hosted by the Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, a unit of the UGA Libraries.
Marion Nestle, an acclaimed author and professor emerita at New York University, will discuss political and social influences on food choice and nutrition in the United States during a Nov. 12 livestream, as part of the UGA Signature Lecture series. The 3 p.m. lecture, co-sponsored by the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, is free and open to students, faculty, and the community, although registration is required at this link by Nov. 11.
The Food, Power, and Politics Lecture was created to enhance discussions surrounding the effects of politics and policies on food and nutrition. The Russell Library’s collections include a wealth of materials that document the 1940s establishment of the National School Lunch Program, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Richard Russell of Georgia. Russell Library Director Sheryl Vogt said the annual lecture series will encourage dialogue about the program and other food-related policies.
“The Russell Library’s mission to focus on the dynamic relationship of politics and policy intersecting with public, corporate, and government interests has inspired the establishment of a new lecture series in 2020 to bring continued focus to this critical public policy issue related to childhood nutrition,” Vogt said. “I am delighted that our inaugural speaker for the lecture series will be Dr. Marion Nestle. Her long career at the forefront of national and international food and nutrition policy development and analysis is unparalleled.”
Nestle’s 2002 book Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health won awards from the Association of American Publishers, the James Beard Foundation, and World Hunger Year. Her latest book Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat was published in 2018, and she continues to write and lecture on the subject.
"We are pleased to partner with the Russell Library and to co-sponsor this lecture on an issue of critical importance,” said Linda Kirk Fox, dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “Dr. Nestle is a widely respected expert in her field and we are grateful for the opportunity to share her expertise with the entire university community.”
To register for the free lecture, presented via a Zoom webinar, go to
https://ugeorgia.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b8BlAvPwJUOiHLn by Nov. 11.
For questions or to request accommodations, please contact Kaylynn Washnock Stooksbury at washnock@uga.edu.