Scholar Examines Politics of Food at Solomon Center Talk
What we eat — and what we don’t eat — is not just about nutrition; it is about power. This is one of the main claims in Andrea Freeman’s recent book, “Ruin Their Crops on the Ground: The Politics of Food in the United States, from the Trail of Tears to School Lunch.” Freeman expanded on this premise at a book talk hosted by the Solomon Center for Health Law and Policy4 on March 11. Lexie Holden ’25 moderated and Professor of Law Monica Bell ’09 provided commentary.
A law professor at Southwestern Law School, Freeman has spent over 15 years tracing the legal and structural forces behind food oppression. Freeman coined the term to argue that U.S. food law and policy have created and maintained inequality.
In her book, Freeman writes about how the American food system has long been a tool of olitical subjugation. She traces this history from the forced rationing of Indigenous communities throughout colonization to the corporate-backed nutrition guidelines that now dictate what marginalized populations can access
At the talk, Bell asked Freeman what is it about food that makes it a tool for subordination. Freemen responded that although food is central to our existence, U.S. society didn’t pay enough attention to how little choice some people have when it comes to food. She cited as an example the history of frybread — one of the best-known dishes created by Indigenous communities to adapt to the government’s food rations. Freeman argues that frybread is both a symbol of survival and a reminder that what are often labeled as “bad food choices” are not personal failures but the result of systemic violence imposed upon Indigenous communities.
Freeman argues that federal programs like SNAP and contemporary school meal policies fail to address the diverse nutritional needs of marginalized populations. For example, she said, the USDA, in its role as a provider of nutrition assistance, disproportionately distributes surplus dairy products to Indigenous communities — despite the widespread prevalence of lactose intolerance among nonwhite populations.
While Freeman believes that the food structure in the United States is unconstitutional, she acknowledged that the Supreme Court may not necessarily be persuaded by this argument of unconstitutionality. However, she said, it is still helpful to speak in these terms for the purpose of social movements.
Freeman calls for a comprehensive reimagining of the food system, one that involves structural changes.
The event was co-sponsored by the Yale Health Law and Policy Society, Native American Law Students’ Association, Black Law Students’ Association, and Yale Environmental Law Association.
