The release Tuesday of Canada’s food guide has brought the issue of food policy to the forefront of public debate, says law professor Patrícia Galvão Ferreira.

She will chair a discussion by a panel of experts on the topic “Disrupting Dominant Discourses of Food Systems and Food Movements,” at noon Wednesday, Jan. 23.

“Law schools worldwide are engaging more systematically in research and discussions on the role that law and policy can play in transforming dominant food systems that too often perpetuate environmental degradation, unhealthy nutrition habits, and socio-economic inequality,” says Dr. Galvão Ferreira.

A project of the student Environmental Law Society, the panel will discuss issues of sustainable food sourcing, production, and distribution:

• Windsor Law professor Sylvia McAdam on indigenous food sovereignty;
• Shane Martinez, a Toronto-based lawyer who provides legal support for migrant farm workers;
• Heather Mcleoad-Kilmurray, associate professor at University of Ottawa working on sustainable agriculture and food policy; and
• Jacqueline Hand, professor of environmental law at Detroit Mercy Law School, who has been working on urban agriculture in Detroit.

The discussion is free and open to the public in the Faculty Lounge, Ron W. Ianni Faculty of Law Building.