RESOURCES

UC Davis Food Day website

UC Davis World Food Center

UC Food Day website (with video): “Join your fellow faculty, staff and students in the nationwide celebration of healthy, affordable and sustainably produced food.”

• Take the “UC Eats Real” Food Day pledge.
• Pledge cards, a poster and recipe cards are available for download.

UC Global Food Initiative

Big Ideas@Berkeley: Eligibility in this student contest has been expanded to all UC campuses this year, for entries in four categories, including the brand-new Food System Innovations, inspired by the UC Global Food Initiative. Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to enter; mandatory preproposals are due Nov. 13. An online information session is scheduled from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14.

Read UC news release on the Food System Innovations category.

Related story: World Food center assists on Gates foundation 'Grand Challenge'

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By Dateline staff

We hope this story makes you hungry, with its mention of the UC Davis Farmers Market’s return and the Farm-to-Fork Dinner in the dining commons.

But we also hope it raises awareness about students and others around the world who may not have enough to eat, and about UC Davis’ efforts and expertise in sustainable agriculture and global food security. Learn more on the "One California, One UC Davis" website.

With the world’s population advancing toward 9 billion, food is an everyday topic of concern — never more so than on World Food Day, held every Oct. 16 in celebration of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or FAO, on Oct. 16, 1945.

On World Food Day next week, UC Davis will host a panel discussion with experts in health, nutrition and food literacy, and food banks and sustainable agriculture, to celebrate progress being made on hunger, to learn where work is still needed, and to appreciate the Sacramento-Yolo region’s bounty. More information below.

The Pantry, the student-run food bank at UC Davis, will enlist the campus community’s support by holding a food drive starting Monday (Oct. 13) and continuing to Oct. 24.

Eight days after World Food Day comes another Food Day, this one organized by the Washington, D.C.-based, nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. Food Day, held every Oct. 24, seeks to bring Americans together to celebrate and enjoy real food and to push for improved food policies, the Food Day website declares.

The UC Davis dining commons will “celebrate and enjoy real food” at the annual Farm-to-Fork Dinner, for students, of course, and the public, too! This year’s dinner is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 23, one day before Food Day.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Wednesday, Oct. 8 — The UC Davis Farmers Market returns for the fall quarter. 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. every Wednesday through Nov. 12, Silo Patio. The market is open to everyone, and is especially intended for students — offering them convenient access to fresh fruits and vegetables. With food, music and other entertainment, the market is a fun place for lunch! Read news release.

Sunday, Oct. 12 — Harvest: A Gathering Food, Wine, Beer and Arts, starting at 1 p.m. in the Gateway District (south entry). Activities will include “The Art of Science” and food sensory booths, all meant to provide a deeper understanding of the university’s role in food and agriculture. Most events are free, with the exception of a beer, wine and food tasting, and an evening concert by the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne.

Monday-Friday, Oct. 13-24 — The Pantry food drive, for UC Davis’ student-run food bank. Look for collection bins near the information desk in the Memorial Union, and at the entrances to the Student Community Center and the Activities and Recreation Center. Or come by The Pantry, 21 Freeborn Hall (basement). The drive is all about food, of course, but a little competition never hurts — which is why the food banks on five other UC campuses (Berkeley, Irvine, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz) will be holding food drives at the same time.

Thursday, Oct. 16 — World Food Day panel, 6:30 p.m., Buehler Alumni Center. Includes reception with food from the UC Davis Student Farm. Free, with limited seating; registration is required and can be arranged online. The panelists:

• Lucia Kaiser, UC Davis Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Nutrition, whose research covers maternal and child nutrition, developing and testing nutrition education materials for community programs, and evaluating efforts to improve food security and reduce chronic disease among low-income Latino populations.
• Zoey Goore, pediatrician, Kaiser Permanente Women’s and Children’s Center, Roseville, and vice president, California Chapter 1, American Academy of Pediatrics
• Sue Sigler, executive director, California Association of Food Banks
• Shawn Harrison, founder and co-director, Soil Born Farms, an urban agriculture and education project. His work and expertise includes developing sustainable food systems and healthy communities. 
• Amber Stott (moderator), founder and “chief food genius,” Sacramento-based Food Literacy Center

Sponsors: UC Davis World Food Center, UC Davis Dining Services, Valley Vision, Sacramento Farm to Fork, Yolo County Farm to Every Fork, Sacramento Region Food System Collaborative and Food Literacy Center.

Thursday, Oct. 23 — WorkLife and Wellness Brown Bag, “Eating Right When the Budget’s Tight,” with Gopal Kapur of Family Green Survival, noon-1 p.m., multipurpose room, Student Community Center. Free; no reservations.

Thursday, Oct. 23 — UC Davis Farm-to-Fork Dinner, showcasing Dining Services’ commitment to sustainability, which includes an emphasis on buying locally. 4:45-8 p.m., Segundo, Tercero and Cuarto dining commons, open to everyone. Cost: $11.80 (including tax) with a university ID, or $14.75 for the general public. Menu: Soups — Cream of Broccoli with Pure Country Bacon, and Butternut Squash Soup. Salads — Beet and Chickpea with Feta Cheese, and Autumn Pear and Apple Salad. Entrees — Roasted Chicken with Brussels Sprouts, Rustic Olive Loaf, Fresh Fettuccine Pasta with UC Davis Roasted Tomato Sauce and Wilted Spinach, California Pisto Pizza, Grape with Gorgonzola Pizza, Flat Iron Steak with Arugula Pesto (and Roasted Yam Potato and Blue Lake Green Bean Amandine), and Seitan Au Vin (and Steamed Brown Rice and Roasted Acorn Squash). Dessert — Apple Galette Bar and Pumpkin Loaf Cake.

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