Mayor O'Connell has a plan for Nashville. Why isn't feeding everyone included?
Re: Mayor outlines 'challenging' budget recommendations in State of Metro, May 1.
There is one thing noticeably absent in the Mayor's agenda for Nashville.
This city has struggled with food apartheid, measured and mapped by Dr. Padgett decades ago. It still has not been resolved in 2025, and so the 'It City' continues to strive for access to healthful, culturally-appropriate foods.
More: Two decades after a landmark study, food insecurity in North Nashville persists
Food insecurity rates will continue to increase as the federal government cuts SNAP and USDA grants. Food insecurity will further increase as the state government cuts school meals and summer meals and fails to pass grocery tax relief.
And so, it is left to this metropolitan government to address the systemic inequities of our food system to feed Nashvillians.
Metro funded FeedBack Nashville, a year-long study of Nashville's food system, from agriculture, to access, to disposal. But the city has not shared the study's results. Nor has Metro taken any action to address the problems or implement the solutions found in the study.
Opinion: As a nurse in rural Tennessee, I know how food deserts harm residents
I urge the Mayor and the Council to consider and address the many implications of Nashville's broken food system each time they talk about the state of our city. I urge them to follow up on the investment made in FeedBack Nashville. And I urge them to set aside funding for further food systems work in the new budget.
People cannot work without food.
Children cannot learn without food.
Nashville cannot thrive without a just food system.
Jeannie Hunter, Madison 37115
Agree or disagree? Or have a view on another topic entirely? Send a letter of 250 words or fewer to letters@tennessean.com. Include your full name, city/town, ZIP and contact information for verification. Thanks for adding to the public conversation.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mayor O'Connell should fix Nashville's broken food system | Letters
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