TABLE | TableDebates

Photo of a woman shopping in a grocery store. Image by Viki Mohamad via Unsplash

Journal articles

What consumers want in a sustainability food label

This article aims to explore the consumer perceptions and preferences for sustainability in food production and food labels through interactive workshops conducted in the UK, Ireland, and Denmark. The researchers find that consumers lack necessary information to assess the sustainability of food products. Consumers in this study said that food retailers and producers must take more responsibility for providing public information and awareness campaigns.

Image of two ranchers riding horses herding cattle

Journal articles

Healthy people, soils, and ecosystems

This study investigates the relational values which connect people to ecosystems and economic and environmental factors which drive adoption of regenerative agriculture by farmers and ranchers in the United States. Through an analysis of thirty-one semi-structured interviews from self-identified regenerative agriculturalists, the authors find the most salient relational values and economic and environmental factors associated with participants' adoption of regenerative agricultural practices. They highlight the value of incorporating a theoretical lens which emphasises the relationships between humans and the environment to economic and environmental investigations and find a shared belief that finding a balance between economics and a vision of regenerative agriculture is a real possibility for participants of this study.

A flyer advertising a 2-part event called "Regenerative and ultra-processed? What does corporate engagement mean for regenerative agriculture?" taking place on two dates: 11 January 2024 and 7 February 2024 at 4pm GMT both days. The image also contains a gradient background with photo of a sunset over farmland and a white packaged food with a symbol on it that depicts recycling and leaf as a proxy for a regenerative label.

Event recording

Event Summary & Recording: Regenerative & ultra-processed? (Part 2) - what does corporate engagement mean for regenerative agriculture?

This event was hosted by TABLE and WWF on 7 February 2024 and took the format of a panel discussion with:Dr Tara Garnett (director of TABLE);Matthew Ryan (Nestlé);Melissa D. Ho (WWF-US);Sara Farley (The Rockefeller Foundation);Jyoti Fernandes (Landworkers' Alliance).Find the summary & recording for Part 1 here.

A recovered family farm in Thailand

Power, policy and people’s rights: an interview with Shalmali Guttal

The following interview was originally recorded in October 2021 between podcast co-host Samara Brock and the Executive Director of Focus on the Global South, Shalmali Guttal. It has been edited for clarity and length.Focus on the Global South (Focus) is an Asian activist, policy research think tank that works with social movements, civil societies, government officials and the public on various aspects of globalization, economic financial policies, and environmental ecological issues. Focus brings diverse actors together to share and deepen the analysis of emerging power patterns and power relations, and to build broad collective mobilizations for global change. It produces analyses that illuminate relations of power, how they create and perpetuate inequality, exclusion, environmental destruction, and entrench marginalization at national, regional and international levels. It also aims to generate high quality, credible and accessible materials that contextualize, inform and support people’s struggles.

Image of the front cover of book title Food Insecurity by William D. Schanbacher and Whitney Fung Uy

Food Insecurity: A reference handbook

Millions of Americans are at risk of food insecurity despite decades of on-going efforts to combat the issue. This book, designed as a reference handbook, delves into the historical drivers of food insecurity and presents a diverse range of voices from those who are tackling this persistent crisis.

Front cover of the book titled Critical Sustainability Sciences with chapter on Agroecology as a transformative approach to sustainable food systems. Image contains the title of the book on an abstract colourful background

Agroecology as a transformative approach to sustainable food systems

This chapter in Critical Sustainability Sciences explores agroecological movements and the transformative elements of the movements including food sovereignty, local, self-organised and decentralised food systems, inclusive and non-elitist ideologies, and ancestral knowledge. The chapter explores the emancipatory and transformative potential of agroecological approaches.

Title cover of book Plantation Pedagogy. Image contains the title and author names across a green field of crops.

Plantation Pedagogy: The Violence of School across Black and Indigenous Space

Bayley J. Marquez investigates the historical industrial education systems that attempted to transform Black and Indigenous peoples and land and how US domestic proponents spread the model abroad as part of US imperialism.

Image of a person eating a hamburger. Image by Szabo Viktor via Unsplash

News and resources

Government-Backed Meat Ad Campaign Targets Gen Z in Veganuary

A recent campaign launched by the DEFRA appointed Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has faced criticism for contradicting scientific evidence. Experts say, the 'Let's Eat Balanced' campaign, describes misleading information that ignores negative health impacts associated with meat and dairy-rich diets, and lacks adequate attention to environmental issues connected to heavy meat consumption.

Photo of a protest sign which reads “Stand with Farmers”. Image by Gayatri Malhotra via Unsplash

News and resources

France pledges to ensure food retailers pay farmers fairly

Continued unrest of the farming population of France has lead the French government to promise to ensure food retailers agree to share revenues fairly with producers. This Bloomberg article details the statements made by French officials and connects the political activity of farmers in France with other movements in Europe.