We Asked Both Mayoral Candidates Where They Stand on Food Justice Issues. Here’s What They Said.

Food Justice is a crucial civil rights movement aiming to rectify the historic and current inequities disproportionately impacting low-income and communities of color throughout the food system. Systemic racism and the corporate consolidation of power in food production, distribution, and service has led to labor exploitation, environmental degradation, and higher rates of diet-related disease in Chicago’s Black and Brown communities. In response, the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) has sought to facilitate the development of policies seeking to achieve the food sovereignty of Chicagoans and ensure their power to produce and access sustainable, fair, nutritious, affordable, and culturally significant food.

In "Planting an Equitable Chicago: 2019 Mayoral Runoff Platform & Questionnaire," CFPAC asks both runoff candidates, Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle, where they stand on food justice issues that impact Chicago's communities.

We are looking for Chicago’s next mayor to unabashedly fight for the rights of communities by pushing a progressive agenda addressing not only these issues but also creating processes and infrastructure within City Hall to center community control, transparency, and equitable pathways for community wealth building.