UAF takes part in program to shed light on food issues

Submitted by Nancy Tarnai
Phone: 907-474-5042
03/11/10

UAF’s School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences has become a partner with the national nonprofit Center for Food Integrity on a new project that aims to connect journalists with credible experts on challenging food system issues.

Two SNRAS professors will lend their expertise to the project: Milan Shipka on livestock production, especially pertaining to northern agriculture, and Glenn Juday on the effects of climate change on agricultural systems in the Far North.

The goal of this new project is to help give the public access to credentialed experts who can provide commentary and fact-based information about food systems.

"Legitimate issues are being raised and this program will help create a better understanding of where our food comes from, who produces it and how it reaches our dinner tables," said Carol E. Lewis, dean of the School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences and director of the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. "We are excited about the role we will play in providing information on such an important topic."

The Center for Food Integrity, which seeks to improve consumer trust and confidence in the food system, is working with deans of agriculture at universities across the nation to recruit top food experts and will be connecting them with those reporting the news.

ON THE WEB: www.uaf.edu/snras/

NT/3-11-10/171-10