Eighth International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

I propose a case study on the challenge, yet successful project of a French major city’s innovative tentative to offer its public school system a healthy, sustainable, and local based menu. Today’s mass consumption in a globalized market makes it harder for children to know what they eat. In order to understand the city of Nantes’s success, I plan to conduct research in June 2018 (I already started in December and met with some of the agents of the city hall) in a field trip with the producers, the marketing team amongst others. My objectives are: first, to introduce my research to my students in a new Freshman Foundation Course in English that reflects on globalization and ethically responsible citizen of the world, in order to make it better. My second goal is pedagogical and will involve students’ field trips in the Los Angeles USD to research on how the American system fails to produce such initiatives like the Nantes Meal plan system proposes for French children. Ultimately, I plan to pursue my research on food studies within an interdisciplinary approach showing that food is still very culturally influenced by its culture in spite of globalization.