Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are core values at Food & Wine. We are committed to producing premium inclusive and equitable content in print, and on our digital channels and social media platforms. On all of our platforms, we reflect and celebrate the full range and diversity of the people who make up the world of food and drink, including women, men, and nonbinary people; people of all races, nationalities, religions, body types, abilities, and ages; and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Our stories, recipes, and images must offer a welcoming, inclusive, entertaining, and respectful experience for diverse readers and viewers. To help hold ourselves accountable to our diversity, inclusion, and equity goals, DEI goals are included in our official brand, department, and individual goal-setting and as part of performance reviews. In summary, we are committed to the following values, processes and goals. More details on each focus area follows. Create More Inclusive Content Audit and Update Existing Content Diversify our StaffHost Inclusive Events Be A Strong Ally Create More Inclusive Content As editors and publishers, we take particular care to make sure that when we publish diverse stories, we do so in an accurate and respectful manner from start to finish. Following an error we made in representing a Mole Verde recipe, we put in place the Four C’s of Inclusive Storytelling, which serve as touchstones for our editorial process. COLLABORATE: Prioritize collaboration internally and externally with the people and businesses we cover, and the people who create our recipes and content. Through transparent, clear, honest, and consistent communication, we seek to build and maintain trust between all parties. Everyone’s work and role is valued and respected.CONSENT: Give everyone participating in a project the opportunity to approve the work at various stages.CREDIT: Pay for all work. Give proper credit to creators and collaborators. CONTEXT: Always provide context and links back to origins for the subjects of our stories, recipes, and videos to ensure accuracy and richness of storytelling. We also work diligently to bring more diverse voices and perspectives into our content on all platforms. As a baseline, we aim to create content that is reflective of the diverse people who make up the United States, using the US Census as the baseline against which we measure representation in our pages. Our content inclusivity goals are to at minimum reflect national demographics as measured by the US Census. We consider the Census as our floor, not our ceiling—it is the threshold we should always surpass. These goals include: We will continue to diversify our content-creators (including recipe developers, freelance writers, and photographers). We are working with the Dotdash Meredith DEI team to do a current audit of brand contributors, and to make a contributor DEI survey a part of onboarding from here on out for anyone working with the Food & Wine brand.We will continue to increase the percentage of stories we tell that are about and images of diverse subjects. We will increase editorial coverage of BIPOC-owned restaurants and food and drink businesses across all platforms.We will broaden our coverage of celebrations, with more regular coverage of huge holidays that are outside of the Judeo-Christian calendar (ex: Diwali, Eid, Lunar New Year, Nowruz) every year. We will continue to make our social channels more diverse and inclusive with the stories we tell and the creators we work with. Representation and inclusion on these channels is top of mind, the same way it is in print and on the site. We aim to promote a diverse mix of recipes and chefs on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest that are inclusive of many cuisines and ethnicities. We’ll ensure that recipes, written features, and videos about non-Western cuisines are covered by people with innate experience of the cuisine or location and are given the promotion they deserve, making these channels — and the Food & Wine brand overall — richer and more enlightening for readers. Audit and Update Existing Content Since 2020, we’ve conducted a series of content audits of Food & Wine magazine and FoodandWine.com, to help us see patterns of representation in our pages and on our site. These audits have helped us understand where we’ve made progress on inclusivity, and where more focus and commitment is needed. While we are always reviewing our content, we conduct formal audits every 12 months. In 2022 we began a project of auditing our top digital content with Dotdash Meredith’s Anti-Bias Review Board, and then undertaking specific additional projects to remediate content. There are many recipes, galleries, and stories on the site that, in some way, do not reflect the values of the brand today. We’ll be changing and redirecting URLs where need be and commissioning new recipes to fill in for the ones we have altered. And as we review our preexisting content, we’re ensuring that stories and recipes are covered by people with a close connection to the food or location. We will continue to work with the Anti-Bias Review Board and paid sensitivity readers with deep cultural competency to review our content and offer feedback and guidance to eliminate bias and instances of cultural appropriation. Diversify Our Staff When recruiting for new staff roles, we will continue to diversify our staff, working with our HR partners recruit a diverse slate of candidates for any open position, including internships and fellowships. We will work diligently and earnestly to make Food & Wine a welcoming and supportive environment for all staff. For candidates for whom we want to get a sense of their writing or skills, we will offer them a paid assignment (without needing the commitment of final publication) to evaluate. Host Inclusive Events For 39 years, Food & Wine has hosted the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, and we also partner on and license our brand to other events. We are committed to making our events welcoming and inclusive for all participants. We will make sure the events, speakers, recipes, and images at (and from) the events we own offer a welcoming, inclusive, entertaining, and respectful experience for diverse consumers. For the Food & Wine Classic, this includes a clear zero-tolerance harassment policy for guests and talent, and anti-bias training for all event staff and volunteers. We are committed to following-up with our talent each year with a survey to identify any areas where we need to do more to ensure they feel welcomed, safe, and respected at our events. For events that we don’t own but partner on or license, we ask our event partners and hosts to focus on diversity and inclusivity, whether through building a diverse lineup for F&W-hosted panels, adding an inclusion rider to our contract, or other avenues. Be a Strong Partner We will continue to use Food & Wine’s reach and influence to support partners and projects that make the food world a more inclusive and equitable place. In 2022 these will include: The Family Reunion In 2021, Food & Wine became the media partner of "THE FAMILY REUNION," helping to launch the immersive experience celebrating diversity in the hospitality community taking place each August in Virginia. Presented by Food & Wine Executive Producer Kwame Onwuachi in partnership with FOOD & WINE and Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Hotels & Resorts, the mission of the event is to nurture, develop and celebrate racial and ethnic diversity within the next generation of hospitality professionals. The multi-day event crosses culinary boundaries and combines thought-provoking panel discussions, topical cooking demonstrations, inspiring recreational activities and daily “family” meals where attendees and celebrity participants can interact. Last year’s inaugural event was lauded by guests and talent for its energetic and unique approach. The Family Reunion also benefits Share our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to help end childhood hunger, and will also continue mentorship and scholarship programs to foster diversity in the hospitality industry. We will continue this partnership in 2022. Jones Valley Teaching FarmFood & Wine is also a supporter of Jones Valley Teaching Farm, a not-for-profit organization based in Birmingham, Alabama. With seven teaching farms located on Birmingham City Schools campuses, JVTF uses the power of good food to teach a STEM curriculum and environmental stewardship, using the power of growing food to transform and improve a young person’s pre-K-12 educational experience, helping them learn, create, explore, and grow a healthy future for themselves and their community. Students enter the program in elementary school. By high school, they're afforded the opportunity to intern and apprentice at the farm and earn a job there or in the community. Some of those students, now college graduates, are finding their places at the table as community leaders. No Kid HungryOne in six kids are at risk of hunger in America—a threat made more pressing by the pandemic, as millions lost access to school meals. No Kid Hungry makes sure America's children are fed, through grants, strategic assistance, and advocacy. F&W has supported No Kid Hungry for years, including as a charity partner at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen; we hope you will join us and donate at nokidhungry.org. Southern SmokeLed by 2013 F&W Best New Chef Chris Shepherd, Southern Smoke's Emergency Relief Fund provides financial assistance to food and beverage industry professionals in crisis. To date, they've distributed more than $8.1 million. The organization is a charity partner of the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Donate at southernsmoke.org.