Reimagining Food Equity: A Multilevel Health Framework

As a critical social determinant of health, food equity (FE) is essential for addressing health equity. It expands the concept of food security to incorporate more community collaboration in the production and distribution of affordable, nutritious food with attention to cultural preferences and environmental change/sustainability. Both health equity and environmental sustainability are central to the Grand Challenges for Social Work. To advance progress on meeting these particular challenges, this article discusses how the social work health impact model can be applied for taking action to promote FE. Current issues in the food system that contribute to food insecurity and health inequities are presented, along with selected interventions across contexts. The authors call for reimagining roles for social workers to address FE with implications for social work education and creative collaboration for improving the food system and food access, and with consideration of environmental and health consequences of a changing food landscape.