Food Shortages in a Pandemic

Panel of speakers — From left: Jenny Lester Moffitt, Undersecretary at the California Department of Food and Agriculture; Daniel Sumner, director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center, professor of agricultural and resource economics at UC Davis; Chelsea Minor, corporate director of public affairs for Raley’s Supermarkets; Bu Nygrens, co-owner and director of purchasing at Veritable Vegetable; Moderator Catherine Brinkley, assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Human Ecology.

About the event:

On Tuesday, May 12, 2020, an expert panel of UC Davis researchers, policymakers, and food purveyors discussed how our food supply chain works, why the COVID-19 pandemic has been so disruptive, and what changes can be made to make food systems more resilient.

Speaker Biographies

Highlights from the Conversation

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to re-examine our food system so that we can be prepared and smart and strategic and equitable about how we get our food to consumers."

— Jenny Lester Moffitt, Undersecretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture

"We have had a disruption that suddenly, really overnight, changed where and what we eat."

— Daniel Sumner, Director, UC Agricultural Issues Center; Professor, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics