Even wealthy cities have people who can’t get healthy meals. George Reistad cooks up smart local food policy.

Even wealthy cities have people who can’t get healthy meals.

It’s mind-bogglingly difficult to budge the ginormous, two-headed problem of hunger and obesity. That’s why George Reistad has unleashed dozens of different food-related projects as food czar for the city of Madison, Wisconsin.

Reistad issues both municipal and foundation grants to organizations with smart ideas, like the school that wanted to build a salad bar or the medical clinic that has started giving low-income patients vouchers for the food co-op across the street. He’s also working with the Latino Chamber of Commerce and a small grocery store to set up a delivery program for people paying for food with government benefits — residents who often have a hard time getting across town to go shopping.

[pullquote share=”true” hashtag=”Grist50″]“You can’t care about the environment without caring about the human environment.” [/pullquote]

Reistad has been on the job for less than a year, and he’s excited about what’s to come. “It’s just great to see the work taking root in the community around me,” he says. His efforts could provide a model for breaking down our giant food problems, piece by piece.

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