Over 50 participants convened at The University of the South Pacific’s (USP) in Suva, Fiji this week for the Food Cultural Envoy lecture to understand the critical role of traditional food systems, sustainable nutrition and planetary health.
As part of the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI), the lecture featured US Embassy-sponsored culinary envoy Henry Obispo and celebrity chef Robert Oliver alongside USP’s Dr Vincent Lal.
USP, through the Institute of Applied Sciences, is the implementer of the initiative funded by the American Heart Association and Rockefeller Foundation. PTFI provides standardised tools, data, and training to map the food quality of the world’s edible biodiversity.
The event highlighted the importance of preserving cultural heritage through food and fostering resilient food systems for a healthier future.
Obispo shared insights from his work in the South Bronx of the United States of America, demonstrating how initiatives like the Bronx Salad engaged communities to create culturally relevant, plant-based dishes that promoted health and economic empowerment.
“Healthy food access isn’t something that trickles down; we need to center solutions directly where the needs are,” he said.
Dr Lal highlighted the Pacific’s food composition journey, noting the milestone of cataloguing 900 native foods but stressing a 20-year gap in research.
“We need to progress towards a third edition of the tables to address critical issues like zero hunger and good health,” he said, emphasising USP’s pivotal role in food composition research supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
He also pointed to the need for addressing data gaps in underutilised and traditional foods.
“When COVID hit, people returned to the forest to gather food, yet much of what we have in our forests remain under-researched and under-documented,” he said.
Chef Oliver commended Pacific Island foods and emphasised how the fast-food culture contributed to the Pacific’s health crisis.
“Food is not just about health; it’s about climate action, cultural heritage, and economic empowerment.” he stated.
He also shared the importance of community ownership of food systems, saying, “Food sovereignty is when communities own and control their food systems. That’s the end game for sustainability.”
“Our people are beginning to realise that going back to our local food is the answer to the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) crisis. It’s also about staying healthy and sticking to what we have in our gardens.”
-Article shared from the USP Tukutuku bulletin-
