The Trump-Russia probe. Syria. St. Petersburg. The steady drumbeat of horror is on 24/7 rotation these days. With outrage heaped upon outrage, why does our food system matter? And what does it have to do with you? At Miami’s Better Food Movementconference last month, keynoter and food policy pro Marion Nestle served it up like this:

• 2 billion people are overweight or obese
• 1 billion people are undernourished
• we waste a third or more of our food
• animal agriculture and junk food manufacturing constitute the biggest contributors to climate change

That doesn’t add up to better. Or smart. Or sustainable. Or easy to swallow. And the likelihood of better food seems increasingly remote with the Trump administration reversing Obama’s environmental protection policies and looking to slash the USDA budget by 21% in order to ramp up military spending. It’s the classic guns and butter paradigm, but with most independent media struggling financially and under attack for doing its job — unbiased reporting — it’s a story that doesn’t get told. Covering — and uncovering — the bigger stories about the food system and its impacts on human and global health requires time and resources.

Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition and Thomas Reuters have teamed up — and stepped up — to launch the Food Sustainability Media Prize awarded to journalists, photographers and videographers whose work shines a light on the threats to our food system. The National Press Foundation is underwriting a training program Understanding the Stakes for journalists who focus on the changes in environmental policy. Environmental policy affects farming regulations, food safety, food waste and sustainability. The stakes, in other words, are the planet and us.

Sos Pwa (Haitian Red Bean Gravy)

Sustainable to grow, easy to afford and tops for balancing blood sugar levels, pulses (that’s dried beans) are one of the best foods for personal and global sustainability. This recipe costs about $.50 a serving — most of it going for the coconut milk. Traditionally, this velvety, satisfying sauce is served over rice or cornmeal porridge. Untraditionally, adding a splash of hot sauce is a good idea.

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Ingredients

  

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 scallions chopped, plus additional for garnish, if desired
• 1 sprig fresh thyme leaves plus additional for garnish, if desired
• 1 15- ounce can red beans rinsed and drained or 2 cups cooked red beans
• 2/3 cup reserved bean cooking liquid or vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup coconut milk preferably full fat
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Instructions

 

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion, garlic and scallions and sauté, stirring occasionally until the vegetables become tender, burnished and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add the thyme and the beans, and bean cooking liquid or vegetable broth.
• Purée the beans until they’re very smooth, using an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor or blender), for 3 to 5 minutes. For extra smoothness, strain the mixture through a sieve.
• Return the beans to the saucepan. Swirl in the coconut milk. Heat through and reduce over medium heat about about 10 minutes, until the flavors meld and the bean sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Season generously with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Finish with a scattering of extra thyme leaves and snipped scallions if you like.