Food Waste, Food Insecurity, and the Globalization of Food Banks- Q&A with Author Daniel N. Warshawsky

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Food banks—warehouses that collect and systematize surplus food—have expanded into one of the largest mechanisms to redistribute food waste. From their origins in North America in the 1960s, food banks provide food to communities in approximately one hundred countries on six continents. This book analyzes the development of food banks across the world and the limits of food charity as a means to reduce food insecurity and food waste.

Based on fifteen years of in-depth fieldwork on four continents, Daniel Warshawsky illustrates how and why food banks proliferate across the globe even though their impacts may be limited. He suggests that we need to reformulate the role of food banks. The mission of food banks needs to be more realistic, as food surpluses cannot reduce food insecurity on a significant scale. Food banks need to regain their institutional independence from the state and corporations, and incorporate the knowledge and experiences of the food insecure in the daily operations of the food system. These collective changes can contribute to a future where food banks play a smaller but more targeted role in food systems.

About the Author:

Daniel N. Warshawsky is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences and International Studies at Wright State University where he teaches courses in geography and public administration. He is also the Director of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. Daniel is currently the Frederick A. White Distinguished Professor of Professional Service for his service to Wright State University and the broader Dayton community. He was also recently named a Provost's Faculty Fellow for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Daniel earned his B.A. in geography from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2003), M.S. in geography from the University of Wisconsin at Madison (2006), and Ph.D. in geography from the University of Southern California (2011). Before coming to Wright State, Daniel was an Assistant Professor (Teaching) and Director of Graduate Studies in the Spatial Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California where he taught courses in Geographic Information Science and Technology.

In his research, Daniel analyzes urban food systems in North America and Africa. The results of these studies have been published in The Professional Geographer, Urban Geography, Geoforum, Social and Cultural Geography, The Geographical Journal, Geography Compass, Geographical Review, Cities, Sustainability, Agriculture and Human Values, Journal of Southern African Studies, and African Geographical Review. In addition, Daniel has written a book which analyzes the development and impacts of food banks across the world. It has been accepted and is currently in press with the University of Iowa Press, expected publication date Fall 2023. Daniel is also engaged in local research to investigate how people access and waste food in Dayton.

In 2020, he was awarded the Helen Ruth Aspaas SAGE Innovator Award for his research, teaching, and service in the field of geography. The award recognizes outstanding and innovative stand-alone geographic educators. He also currently serves as the Secretary-Treasurer for the East Lakes Division of the American Association of Geographers.

Outside of university life, Daniel spends most of his time with his wife and daughters exploring interesting neighborhoods in the world’s cities, running in parks or trails, and watching good movies. Given that Daniel was born and raised in Cincinnati, he is excited to be back in Southwestern Ohio where he has a strong personal connection.

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This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Ashland Public Library and in partnership with a multitude of MA Libraries. We thank the Bellingham Library for bringing this book and author to our attention.