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As in years past, on World Food Day 鈥� Oct. 16 鈥� Radford business students again gathered to mark the occasion through a forum whose purpose was to examine issues of food distribution and consumption

The event, internationally founded 43 years ago, in 1981, is observed each fall by the United Nations, and member states use the day to commemorate the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

This year鈥檚 designated theme was 鈥淭he right to food for a better life and a better future.鈥�

Faculty-led and student-run, the lectures are coordinated by Assistant Professor Jennifer Elias with the Department of Economics, sponsored by Radford鈥檚 Realizing Inclusive Student Excellence (RISE) program and hosted by the Economics Student Association (ESA).

鈥淚鈥檓 excited to learn about how we can use food from around the world to make Southwest Virginia a happier and healthier place,鈥� said ESA president Addison Howard, a senior marketing major.

Radford鈥檚 gathering, held in Kyle Hall, welcomed Bukola 鈥淏ookie鈥� Fabiyi, a healthcare professional with two decades of experience whose company, , specializes in pharmaceutical care, chronic disease management and holistic wellness coaching, and Max Scheutz, who, with his wife, Whitney, owns and operates Blacksburg鈥檚 .

Both businesses, while local, have connections that stretch to distant parts of the globe.

Before coming to the United States, Fabiyi worked in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, and she spoke about food preferences in different countries and some of her experiences in her field. She shared her understanding of food preferences in different countries and talked about her personal experiences.  

鈥淲hen she was living in England and going through some health challenges, she reflected on her grandmother, who was over 100 years old, and she questioned why her grandmother had lived to such a healthy old age 鈥� and she decided to turn to nutritional solutions,鈥� Elias said. 鈥淚t led her to think about different kinds of food and different types of food preparation.

Scheutz started out as a financial analyst, then ended up buying the Oasis grocery store about 15 years ago with his wife.

鈥淭hey had owned a restaurant in California but didn鈥檛 know a whole lot about operating a grocery store,鈥� Elias explained. 鈥淗is experience in finance helped ease the process and reduce some of the challenges.鈥�

Questions from the audience covered such topics as inflation, adjusting inventory levels in a non-mainstream market, locally sourcing produce that鈥檚 typically grown overseas and supply chain issues amid such incidents as the Baltimore, Maryland, ship collision that led to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The combination of business, economics, and food matched the interests of the audience.

鈥渋t was important for our students to learn some of the day-to-day operational challenges that local stores face in providing fresh and healthy food to their customers,鈥� said Economics Professor Can Dogan.

鈥淎nd we wanted to do something that was international,鈥� Elias added. 鈥淪o we thought, let鈥檚 do something about local businesses that are somehow operating on an international level.鈥�