Law Student Receives Arent Fox Schiff - Dale Bumpers Excellence in Writing Award

Jaden Hendrix, a third-year School of Law student, has been selected as the winner of the 2025-26 Arent Fox Schiff - Dale Bumpers Excellence in Writing Award.

The award celebrates the life and work of former Arkansas governor and U.S. senator Dale Bumpers. Following his retirement from the Senate in 1999, Bumpers became of counsel to the law firm then known as Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin and Kahn. The firm has given the annual writing award, which includes a cash prize, since the Journal of Food Law & Policy's inception in 2005.

Hendrix earned this year's award for her article, "From Culture Shaping Food to Food Shaping Culture: Foreign Investor Protections in the Food Economy as a Threat to Cultural Diversity." She wrote the article, which will appear in an upcoming Journal issue, as a second-year law student serving as a staff editor for the publication.  

"Exploring a topic I'm passionate about while having constant support from the Journal staff and my adviser, Professor (Uche) Ewelukwa Ofodile, has been an amazing experience," Hendrix said. "This award inspires me to keep writing and contributing to the Journal of Food Law & Policy."

Hendrix said her research examines how globalization, investment protections and food systems intersect with cultural preservation.

"Writing this article was driven by my desire to point out a mismatch between the perceived value of American food and its actual quality," Hendrix added. "Through research, I discovered that as American food globalized over the past several decades, this mismatch globalized as well for two primary reasons: America's widely venerated food culture and its bilateral investment treaties. Benefitting from these treaties, American food companies seamlessly penetrate the food supply of economically vulnerable host countries. Food is an integral part of human life, so this economic imposition inevitably leads to cultural imposition, ultimately depleting cultural diversity."

Ofodile praised Hendrix for her willingness to tackle a complex topic that spans multiple legal disciplines.

"A huge congratulations to Jaden," Ofodile said. "The award comes as no surprise to me. Jaden is a remarkable young woman blessed with massive intellectual curiosity, the desire and drive to engage in rigorous academic research and the courage to seek answers to very difficult and very challenging questions. She was curious enough to take on a topic that addressed issues at the intersection of food law, international law, corporate law, cultural law and international investment law. I encourage my students to think outside the box, to not shy away from taking on complex legal issues and to tackle issues through an interdisciplinary lens. Jaden did just that, and it paid off."

A native of Cabot, Hendrix earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with honors, from the U of A. She is currently working as a summer legal intern at Legal Aid of Arkansas and previously worked as a law clerk for Friday, Eldredge & Clark, LLP. Hendrix will serve as executive editor for the Journal during the 2026-27 academic year.

About the Journal of Food Law and Policy: The Journal of Food Law and Policy has long been recognized as a leader in publishing articles and essays on food law and its impact on society. When the journal's inaugural issue was published, no other student-edited journal was devoted to the topic, and few law schools recognized the emerging discipline of food law and policy. Since that time, the journal has led the nation in recognizing the significance of studying the legal framework of our food system. It is published twice a year and is edited by dedicated law students at the University of Arkansas School of Law.