There is more to the subject of food than actually meets the palate, as experts from around the country will prove when they convene at DePaul University, June 13 to June 16 for a conference entitled “The City in a Garden: Producing and Consuming Food in the New Millennium.”

The conference will be held in the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., 8th Floor.

A joint annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Food and Society and the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society, the conference is expected to draw more than 100 food scholars from such institutions of higher learning as the University of Helsinki, Universidad de Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Cornell, the University of California—Davis, Berkley, San Francisco and Irvine, and the University of Illinois-Chicago. Also participating in the conference are the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Smithsonian Institute and Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory.

The scholars, food experts and food regulators will share recent research on issues associated with the production, distribution and consumption of food and natural resources. Past conferences, dating back to 1992, have been the site of in-depth discussions of agricultural and food systems problems and challenges in their broadest social, cultural, economic, ethical and aesthetic contexts.

According to conference coordinator, Tracy Poe, assistant professor of history and humanities, Barat College of DePaul, the conference theme, “city in a garden,” is a translation of the city of Chicago’s motto, “urbs in horto.” “It alludes to Chicago’s position in the midst of the Corn Belt, surrounded by some of the most fertile soil in the world, and to its extensive park and forest preserve system,” explained Poe.

Panel discussions on food will cover a wide range of topics. Highlights of panel discussions and conference events by date are as follows:

January 13: Opening night reception, W Chicago Hotel, 172 W. Adams St., 6:30-8 p.m.

January 14: 9-10:30 a.m. Panels – “Local and Community Studies;” “Food and Mass Marketing;” “Food and Ethnicity;” “Weight and Body Image;” “Food and Adult Education.”

10:45 a.m. Keynote Address – Michael Dietler, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Chicago. Dietler is the author of “Feasts: Archaeological and Ethnographic Perspectives on Food, Politics and Power.” The book discusses feasting practices from around the world.

1:15-2:45 p.m. Panels – “Local Agriculture;” “U.S. Food History;” “Nutrition and Health;” “Food Curriculum in Primary and Secondary Education;” “Fair Trade;” “Poverty and Nutrition.”

3-4:30 p.m. Panel – “Farmers Market.”

June 15: 9:30-10:30 a.m. Panels – “Politics and Genetic Engineering;” “Healthy Choices: Photographic Documentary of Food Stores on the West Side of Chicago.” This panel is the only one comprised of local food experts, and includes: Heidi Hickman, director of community relations, Garfield Park Conservatory; Rose Mabwa, Quincy Youth Garden; Erica Allen, Growing Power Illinois; Eden De Genova, Green Net Chicago. Other morning panels are: “Religious Experience and Food Production and Consumption;” “Teaching Exercises That Work;” “Agriculture and Religious Values I: Theoretical Perspectives;” “Agriculture and Religious Values II: People and Praxis;” and “Food in Literature and Art.”

12-1:15 p.m. Lunchtime Events – Two video tapes will be shown: “Alternative Food System Planning and Education: The Circle of Responsible Production and Consumption” and “Our Food – Our Future: Linking with Public Television to Help Communities Address Local Food System Issues.”

1:15-2:45 p.m. Panels – “Community Gardening;” “Canadian Food History;” “Marxist Interpretations of Food Systems;” “The Future of Food Production and Consumption;” “Organic Farming;” “Cannibalism;” “Food in New York City;” and “Food, Film and Feminism.” Howard Rosing, DePaul adjunct professor and assistant director of the Steans Center for Community-Based Service Learning, will participate on the panel on “Marxist Interpretations of Food Systems.” His presentation will center on food consumption in Santiago, Dominican Republic among laborers who do not yield sufficient income.

June 16: 9:30-10:30 a.m. Panels – “Agriculture and Rural Development;” “Food and Tourism;” and “Scientific Research on Individual Crops.”

10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Panels – “The Meal;” “Sustainable Agriculture;” “Community Food Centers: Closing the Gap Between the Field and the Fork;” “When Food Meets Culture;” and “Seeds of Our City: Linking Diversity and Food Security in the City of Toronto.” For specific information about various conference participants and papers to be presented, or to register for the joint meeting, please visit the Association for the Study of Food and Society or the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society.