Food for thought: critical food literacy in the neoliberal university

In an era of overlapping environmental, social, economic, and political crises, a proliferation of food-related programs has emerged at universities across the globe. While this growing interest can be understood to reflect a mounting sense of urgency to respond to myriad global challenges that fall within the food systems nexus, without intentionality such programs may reinforce the same neoliberal ideologies that produce these issues. This paper argues that food education programs have an obligation to develop students-as-changemakers who possess the necessary tools to combat complex problems. By framing the study of food within a critical lens that acknowledges the social, political, and economic systems of power and oppression that govern these issues, food education is better positioned to effectively precipitate real-world transformation. Furthermore, the move to embrace a transdisciplinary, change-oriented, value-laden paradigm in this field represents an opportunity for universities to reclaim their role as institutions that foster civic engagement and socially conscious learning for the public good.