Rather than give out free coffees or offer BOGO ("Buy One, Get One Free") deals, Starbucks is taking a different approach to National Coffee Day. The mega-chain will be doing a massive makeover of its stores across the nation this weekend, replacing menu boards with information about the farmers the company sources its coffee from. The aim is to inform customers about the challenges these farmers face, including coffee leaf rust and climate change, and the company’s commitment to ethical and sustainably sourced coffee.

Iman Altaani cracks fresh pepper into a pot of sizzling ground beef and onions, surrounded by a group of students. Most have never tasted Syrian food, let alone cooked it. Helping people find commonality is, in large part, why Amanda Warner co-founded the non-profit organization Better Plate. For $30, students get a crash course in another country’s cuisine and a home-cooked meal – not from a trained chef, but from refugees recently resettled in Columbus and adjusting to life in America.

Chef Outta Water presents a series of food events from Thursday, Sept. 28, to Sunday, Oct. 8, that are an exchange of flavors, friendship and business opportunities between Australia and Oregon. Australian Chef Michael Brine from Townsville, North Queensland, will be the ‘chef outta water’ teaming up with Astoria’s Chef Chris Holen as part of a local makers and food producers tour though Astoria, Portland, Hood River, Bend, and McMinnville. Brine will use his skill to pair ‘down under’ flavors with Oregon produce.

For a majority of Indians living in metropolitans, a meal at a restaurant consists of the usual Chinese, Italian and American fare with Japanese food presumably lying somewhere at the bottom of the list of preferred cuisines. However, if Prime Minister Narendra Modi has his way, gastronomic delights from the land of the rising sun will enthrall the tastebuds of more and more Indians with the PM inviting Japanese business community to open more restaurants chains throughout the country.

What can be done to prevent war, restore peace and address terrorism in a world that is full of conflict? Food, a basic necessity that many take for granted, has been one powerful tool that has been used to address issues of conflict and violence. Delaware Valley University’s graduate public policy program’s Policy in Practice Series and the Food Systems Institute are proud to present a lecture on the impact of food on war and peace efforts.