Logan Symposium • April 28, 2017
It was a real honor to share the stage with Ailsa Chang (“Planet Money”), Suki Kim (Without You, There is No Us), Shane Bauer (Mother Jones), and James Jones (Frontline) to discuss the complexities of undercover reporting at the Logan Symposium on Investigative Reporting hosted by the Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley.
Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium • Oct. 14, 2016
Jiffy corn muffin mix is the second-most sold dry grocery item in the U.S. Maseca is used in more than two-thirds of all corn tortillas in Mexico. Yet the food world tends to sneer at them both. By tracing the origin stories of these two iconic corn mixes, I explore how America’s current romance with kitchen labor can edify longstanding inequities of race and gender—and remind us that we live, and eat, in the present.
Full text of my talk can be read here.
Americans are eating healthier, smoking less, exercising more, and living longer than ever before–but only if they can afford it. Continue reading “Is Healthy Living Only for the Rich?”
HuffPost Live • Nov. 21, 2014
“Is it Whole Foods’ job to help poor people eat well?” they asked me on HuffPost Live.
“Only when the CEO starts saying it is,” says I.
Continue reading “HuffPost Live: Can Whole Foods Feed the Poor?”
James Beard Foundation Food Conference • October 28, 2014
At this year’s James Beard Foundation Food Conference, “Health and Food: Is Better Food a Prescription for a Healthier America?” I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on Food, Health & Place: Why Equity Matters, with leading experts in food and equity.
Continue reading “Food, Health and Place: Why Equity Matters”
Fern Talks & Eats • Oct 3, 2014
Fern Talks & Eats is a party, a performance, and a moveable feast. The centerpiece of the evening is a series of stories told by FERN writers. Like a progressive meal, each story unfolds from a different stage, paired with a thematically related dish specially prepared by an area chef. The dish with McMillan’s talk was garlic soup and garlic grissini, by Chef Mary Cleaver of Cleaver Co.
Weekends With Alice Witt, MSNBC • Sept. 8, 2014
A new study shows the food gap between the rich and the poor has worsened. I joined Alex Witt to discuss on MSNBC Weekend.
“Happening Now with Jon Scott and Jenna Lee,” Fox News • August 4, 2014
National Geographic Magazine uncovers surprising new information about poverty
Georgetown University Library • Apr. 3, 2014
I delivered the Ellen Catherine Gstalder Memorial Lecture at Georgetown University, at the invitation of Georgetown Library Associates and The Hoya. Entitled “Beyond Foodies,” the talk covered the link between social justice work and concrete concerns like food, and explored those themes with regard to my work.
USFRA • Nov. 15, 2012
Today’s consumers have more access to information concerning food than ever before. During this panel, the conversation centered on the types of information consumers access and use to make decisions about their food choices.
Questions addressed included – What more can be done to ensure consumers have access to the right kind of information? What tools are marketers using to promote certain types of food choices over others? What additional voices are needed to help consumers navigate the supermarket and restaurant menu?
