February 25, 2025
“Barons” is the story of seven titans of the food industry, their rise to power, and the consequences for workers, eaters, and democracy itself. It paints a stark portrait of corporate consolidation, but it also shows that a fair, healthy, and prosperous food industry is possible—if we take back power from the barons who have robbed us of it.
Austin Frerick is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. He worked at the Open Markets Institute, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the Congressional Research Service before becoming a Fellow at Yale University. He is a 7th generation Iowan and 1st generation college graduate, with degrees from Grinnell College and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Launched in 2017, Food Literacy for All is a community-academic partnership course at the University of Michigan supported by the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, School for Environment & Sustainability, Program in the Environment, and CEW+ Frances and Sydney Lewis Visiting Leaders Fund. From January to April 2025, Food Literacy for All features guest speakers each Tuesday evening (6:30-8 PM EST) to address the challenges and opportunities of diverse food systems. The 2025 course is organized around the theme “Food and Care.” The course is co-facilitated by Dr. Bénédicte Boisseron (the course Faculty Instructor and UM Professor and Chair of Afroamerican & African Studies), Shiloh Maples (the course Community Co-Instructor and an Anishinaabe community organizer, seed keeper, and storyteller), and Sami Maldonado (the Course Coordinator and graduate student in the School for Environment & Sustainability), with support too from Lesli Hoey (Co-Director of the UM Transformative Food Systems Fellowship).
Learn more and register for free as a community member on the Food Literacy for All website. https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/sustainab…
