Before he decides whether to commit this university to a national sustainability initiative called the Real Food Challenge, Chancellor Holden Thorp has said he needs more information.
We understand Thorp’s desire to make an informed decision, but we hope his request is not simply an attempt to stall. It is crucial that UNC make progress toward improving its food policies, and signing on to the Real Food Challenge should be our first step.
Every day spent gathering information is a day wasted. Once UNC signs on to the challenge, which we absolutely should, we’ll have a long way to go before meeting its goal of having at least 20 percent “real” food by 2020.
So just what qualifies as real food? The definition is complex and too often oversimplified, but its general parameters are as follows: food that is ecologically sound, community-based, humane or fair.
Last fall, a group of students from the campus organization FLO (Fair, Local, Organic) Food spent an academic internship calculating the percentage of Carolina Dining Services food that qualifies as real. Thorp has asked that CDS run the numbers again.
As students await these results and Thorp’s next move, we should work to educate ourselves about food at UNC. After all, you are what you eat.
