What is the role of food within nonviolent social change movements?

Food can be a powerful tool. It can release stress, bring people together, foster solidarity and create an environment to hold challenging conversations. Activists have taken part in hunger strikes and fasts, boycotted food companies, and campaigned for alternative food systems, ethical production, food access for all, land access for growing, fair pay for food producers and land workers.

Read

Our reading list includes books on food activism, a damning analysis of supermarkets and an anthology of poetry in support of the McLibel Five.

In the Collection – pamphlets and periodicals

These are just a few of the many pamphlets and periodicals in the Commonweal Collection relating to this topic. Most pamphlets are available to borrow, the periodicals are reference only.

Food and Politics
“We don’t get the food we need, we get the food that will generate profit.” This socialist food politics bulletin aims to provide a critique of manner in which food is produced, processed, marketed and consumed. In this issue from 1981, articles include Beans Means Ballz – the Heinz school equipment scandal, Son of Cornlaw – the new food tax, Fast food – the hamburger invasion, Cuban Agriculture – bittersweet socialism and Food after the Bomb.

Published in London  by the London Agricapital Group.

Classification: Qf Food Crisis PERIODICAL – reference only. 1981 (one edition).

Organic News
The origins of the West Yorkshire Organic Group (WYOG) go back to a meeting held in February 1955 to arrange for a display at the Great Yorkshire Show, by 1975 the group had enough members throughout Yorkshire to divide into three: for Mid Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Sheffield areas.

For a decade, from 1992 to 2002, the Mid Yorkshire Soil Association and WYOG collaborated to produce a joint newsletter featuring local and national news, events and issues. The May 1993 edition includes information about the new LETS (Local Exchange Transfer System) for Bradford, an article on permaculture and the programme for the 4th Organic Vegetable, Fruit and Flower Show taking place in Cleckheaton Town Hall.

Classification: Om Organic Farming & Self Sufficiency. PERIODICAL – reference only. Approx 12 copies from 1993 to 2000.

Resurgence & Ecologist
“We are what we eat” writes Marianne Brown, the editor of Resurgence & Ecologist in this edition from 2020. Articles include the ecology of food including shrimp farmer protests in Vietnam, veganism, the contribution of animal farming to the climate catastrophe and a recipe for bean stew!

Classification: Qp Ecological Thought. PERIODICAL – reference only. Approx 500 copies from 1970 to today (still subscribed).

Vegan Action

Vegan Action was published in Blackburn by Vegan Action to provide “information on the continuing struggle against animal exploitation, torture and butchery”. Articles include an account of being a vegetarian in prison (not easy in 1969), campaigning against vivisection, a critique of non-vegetarian peace activists and some recipes encouraging vegetarians to become vegan.

Classification: Fq Animal Liberation Freedom Struggle. PERIODICAL – reference only. Three issues published in 1969 and 1970.

The Vegetarian
Published in London by the Vegetarian Society, this glossy magazine includes a whole range of articles including recipes and growing tips alongside reports on protests at the Smithfield meat market.

Classification: Of: Healthy Eating. PERIODICAL – reference only. 1974-1985 (four issues).

The Vegetarian News
Published by the London Vegetarian Society between 1942 and 1958, this issue from 1948 is mostly devoted to Mahatma Gandhi who was involved with the Society in the 1890s: “After eighteen months of difficulties as a vegetarian in a strange and carnivorous land, Gandhi was introduced to the London Vegetarian Society… In the following years he contributed nine articles on Hindu diet and customs to our old magazine and also presided at a public meeting. For some time he served on the Society’s Executive Committee.”

Articles include reminiscences of and tributes to Gandhi from people he met in London, an extract titled “Vegetarian Experiments” from Gandhi’s autobiography and a reproduction of an address he made to the London Vegetarian Society in 1931 promoting the moral basis for vegetarianism.

Classification: Fq Animal Liberation Freedom Struggle. PERIODICAL – reference only. One issue from 1948.

What’s wrong with SUPERMARKETS
This 2002 pamphlet was researched and written by Lucy Michaels and the Agriculture Project at Corporate Watch. It gives an overview of supermarkets and their impact on the food industry, agriculture, communities, food miles and climate change.

Classification: Qf COR Environmental Crisis – Food Crisis PAMPHLET check it’s available here.

How to search the Collection

The online catalogue includes all the books, pamphlets and periodicals in the Collection.
Column 1: Select title, or classmark eg Qf Food Crisis
Column 2: Enter search term
Column 3: Select “Commonweal Collection”

Contribute

To share a book that has inspired you email commonwealoutreach@peacemuseum.org.uk. Your suggestions will feature on our website and social media, and also help us to identify gaps in the Collection.