"Be Loud"

This post was written by my buddy David Haverberg, a University of Minnesota alumnus currently exploring graduate school options. 

This May 6th, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs hosted a forum entitled “Science, Democracy, and a Healthy Food Policy.” Put on by the Union of Concerned Scientists, the forum hosted thirteen professionals in various food policy fields. For almost three hours a variety of speeches and panels discussed the range of issues found in food policy, as well as some of the regional solutions that have been put in place to mitigate some of those food policy issues. It was a fantastic event.

If you haven't seen a keynote from @cadwego, make sure to do so. You get delicious slides like this one. #CsdForum pic.twitter.com/8xSOOAf1yL
— KatieEukel (@KTAndrea) May 6, 2014

I left the conference hugely inspired to positively affect food policy. I wanted to find a way to inform the public that perhaps the way-too-happy Leprechaun should not double as their child’s nutritionist, or that adding calcium to ice cream does not make the product a health food. The speakers were so well informed and so persuasive — particularly Lynn Silver, Michele Simon, and Ricardo Salvador — that had they suggested we rush the offices of General Mills en masse under the banner of kale I probably would have led the charge. I wanted to help and I wanted to help right away.

It’s probably useful to note that I have no formal education or experience in the food policy field. I've simply read a number of books on the subject and am hugely interested in what is being discussed. I heard of the forum through Hannah and attended as a member of the general public.

Unfortunately, and this remains my only complaint of the forum, I left unsure as to how I could help. Don Shelby, who emceed the event, suggested that those in the audience needed to “be loud.” This message felt directed at audience members already in a food policy related field, or already in a position to speak to large groups of people. For me of 27 twitter followers and no connection to the field, “being loud” seemed unlikely to help in any way. With “being loud”, or at least doing so to any worthwhile effect, off the table, what was I to do to help?

This is a question I still have in the week after the forum and it’s a question I’d still liked answered. What can I do? Are there internships or volunteer opportunities available in offices connected with any of the ongoing campaigns? If so, I know how to work a stapler and have a pretty good idea of what “collate” means. Are there meetup groups in my area I can join to help plan a grassroots campaign? I’d love to attend and lend a hand with whatever they need.

I am not exaggerating how well the “Science, Democracy, and a Healthy Food Policy” forum was presented and I am certain I wasn't the only audience member whose worldview was totally altered by the speakers. I am also certain that I am not the only audience member who wants to do more but is unsure of what “doing more” entails. Had more been done to address the latter the forum would have been perfect. I just want to know what I should do next.  

Follow David on Twitter: @thisguyisdavid.

What I'm Excited About #4

April showers bring... myriad May marvels.

• Mississippi Mushroom's Kickstarter Finale: Lawrence University transfer student Ian Silver-Ramp runs this local-yet-exotic urban agriculture operation out of Northeast Minneapolis. Fungi you've never heard grow in neighborhood waste products and yield real nice compost. Triple win, right there. Kick in!



Look how much fun we have working!

• MNYFP May: Inaugural work night for Minnesota Young* Food Professionals** on Monday, Happy Hour on Wednesday. Follow the #MNYFP hashtag on Twitter or like the Facebook page to stay in the loop.
• Minneapolis Forum: Misleading lead-in, perhaps, but alliteration's important. The Union of Concerned Scientists presents "Science, Democracy, and a Healthy Food Policy: How Citizens, Scientists, and Public Health Advocates Can Partner to Forge a Better Future." I'm swooning over the panelists already. RSVP (you can join remotely!).

What are you excited about this week?

* "Young" is a state of mind.

** "Professional" means working at SOMETHING (an education, side project, full-time job) related to food.

Minnesota Sunset Act

Catching up on email, I finally read the Minnesota Dietetic Association's educational document on licensure and learned about an intriguing act passed at the end of the the 2011 Legislative Session. But first...

What does licensure mean for dietitians?
Public safety. While the Commission on Dietetic Registration gives RDs that "R," it is not a legal authority and cannot restrict RDs who may harm the public. The Licensure Board does have legal authority and so can tell unlicensed practitioners to cease and desist, etc. In addition, being licensed conveys greater credibility to those insurers from whom we'd like reimbursement.


What is the Minnesota Sunset Act?

A MN sunset, courtesy of D. Bjorn

This act established an Advisory Commission to review the merits of departments, agencies, and other government entities to make sure they are

• efficient and effective,
• meeting their goals and objectives,
• complying with federal and state laws,
• addressing complaints in a timely manner, and
• not duplicating or overlapping with other agencies,

among other criteria. The law places agencies into six groups, each with a scheduled review date and possible expiration date.

Who's up first?
The first batch is set to expire June 30th, 2013:

• the Amateur Sports and Combative Sports Commissions
• Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board
• the Councils on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans, Black Minnesotans, Affairs of Chicano/Latino People, Indian Affairs, and Disabilities
• all health-related licensing boards
• all advisory groups associated with these agencies

You can see that the Minnesota Board of Dietetics and Nutrition Practice falls neatly under that fourth bullet point.

What does this all mean?
As far as I can tell, the Minnesota Sunset Act is a means to shrink government and save money.  Whether it will do so and how it will affect RDs remains to be seen.

RDs on the Hill

Photo from Deb Greene

Late in February, I attended the Minnesota Dietetic Association’s Legislative Day on the Hill. Given that public policy affects the dietetics profession, this annual event was geared to show dietetic professionals and students how to affect public policy. This year’s attendance was triple that of last year's – we were packed into what I had thought was a spacious conference room.

We heard first from Carol Brunzell, MDA Public Policy Committee Member and ADA delegate. Brunzell presented Policy 101, an introduction to how a bill becomes a law (something we had covered recently in Community Nutrition) and when/how we can get involved. Maggie Powers, author of Eating Right When You Have Diabetes, followed with a description of her role in drafting health care reform legislation. She emphasized the importance of being at the table when legislation is being written and building relationships that provide support for the legislation.

Next, we broke into groups to role-play a visit to a legislator, a useful exercise. The RDs’ goal in the role-played visit was to introduce themselves to the legislator; outline the many roles that an RD can play; raise issues of concern, such as health care access and reform, access to safe and healthy food, and chronic disease prevention; and establish themselves as an expert on nutrition and as a ready resource.

Our sessions came to an end as Representative Kim Norton (DFL-Rochester) made her way to the front of the room. She painted a bleak picture of our economic situation and mentioned three current bills that require no funding, such as the current Farm to School Proclamation to raise awareness of Farm to School Programs in Minnesota. Rep. Norton urged us to spread the word about SHIP, the Statewide Health Improvement Program that promises to reduce health care costs in the future by working to lower obesity rates and tobacco usage.

At this point, we broke for lunch in the Great Hall, which was literally just a hall. I chatted with Louanne Kaupa from Owatonna, who had been in my break-out group, and Ramona Robinson, who had worked with Chery Smith on a couple of papers about sustainability. Then I joined a small group on the hunt for some action. We ended up in a committee meeting on Commerce and Consumer Protection. As we entered, Sen. Kelash was introducing a bill on lead acid battery purchase, return, and collection provisions modifications. What struck me was that the senator was not personally familiar with all the details of battery purchase, return, and collection – that’s why Brad Bergstreser, from Savage Auto Parts was there. He explained the reasoning behind the provisions modification and fielded most of the questions from the committee members. I could easily imagine a dietitian sitting in that seat next to a bill’s cosponsor, answering questions as a nutrition expert.

We left the hearing before the issue was resolved to visit Rep. Rick Hansen in the State Office Building. He had stepped out for lunch, but when he returned, we were welcomed into his airy office. After introductions, Sue Parks, RD, mentioned some of the talking points suggested by the MDA. Rep. Hansen described to us the difficulties facing Minnesota’s budget, which made our desires for SHIP funding to remain constant or for health care reform seem entirely out of reach.

In any case, the message of the Day on the Hill came through loud and clear: RDs must advocate for themselves if they wish to be reimbursed for their services. This event was a great stepping stone into getting more involved in public policy in the future.



Edited 2/28/11