The University of California Berkeley has announced that the campus will host several “food luminaries” during the spring 2015 semester.  Several individuals will teach and conduct research on issues related to food, community and human health through the UC Berkeley Food Institute.

Bittmansmile3501Noted journalist, chef and policy pundit Mark Bittman will teach and engage with the community-at-large. Bittman, along with Michael Pollan and others, recently wrote a Washington Post op-ed calling for a national food policy that has gained widespread attention.

UC Berkeley’s Food Institute will also host Marion Nestle, a New York University professor in food studies, nutrition and public health. Nestle is a nationally -recognized expert and author; she also writes a popular blog called Food Politics.

Bittman and Nestle will be joined by Daphne Miller, a physician, author and professor from UC San Francisco, who will conduct research on the health outcomes of agricultural biodiversity and teach a graduate seminar. Saru Jayarman, a food activist, lawyer and author who advocates for restaurant workers, will continue as a visiting scholar, teaching and engaging the community through lectures and projects.

The work of the UC Berkeley Food Institute is part of the University of California’s Global Food Initiative, which seeks to harness the institution’s resources to help sustainably and nutritiously feed a world population expected to reach eight billion by 2025.