200 Iowans meet Wenonah

Last week, Iowa CCI and Food and Water Watch teamed up to host Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food and Water Watch, author, and lifelong activist for a tour across Iowa. Wenonah talked to Iowans across the state about her new book Foodopoly - and what we can do in Iowa to end the corporate control of our food system.Wenonah's tour made stops in Des Moines, Davenport, and Iowa City. In all, nearly 200 people were in attendance - at each stop, we saw many familiar faces, as well as new folks hoping to get involved.

In each city, Wenonah gave a game-changing account of how corporate power has come to control our food system - and what we can do to fight back.

Wenonah started with an overview of farm policy in America in the past decades, outlining how it's resulted in the system we've got today. Wenonah goes on to explain that agriculture policy has been hijacked by corporate power, and as a result, we see consolidation at every level of the food system. From producers to sellers, independent farmers have been squeezed out of agriculture in favor of corporations like Cargill, Tyson, Kraft, and ConAgra.

Wenonah's message to Iowans gets at the heart of what CCI stands for - we have to stand up and organize together to take on the corporate power controlling our food system. Voting with your fork is important, but it's not enough to effect political and policy changes - we must organize politically, too.At one of the tour stops, Wenonah said, "If there was a CCI in every state, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in now." Organizing is essential if we are to be successful in our fight for food justice.