Good Food for All

Daily Digest: GO TO 2040 Sustainable Local Food Report, McHenry County Farm Day, and Community Gardens in Englewood

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is an advisory regional planning agency for Chicago and the surrounding 7-county region.  One of the top 12 recommendations in the upcoming plan, GO TO 2040, is "promote sustainable local food." 

Download the Local Food Draft Report for GO TO 2040 here.   The public comment period is open until Aug. 6, 2010.  To submit input on the local food section of the plan, comments can be left on the CMAP website or at one of the open houses. 

McHenry County designated Tuesday, July 20th as "McHenry County Farm Day" to encourage local food production and farmland protection.  For a full list of McHenry County farmers markets, click here. 

Greater Englewood Garden Association supports a number of community food gardens.  Read about the new Heritage Station Community Garden.  Watch local news coverage below. 

Daily Digest: Breaking Through Concrete, New Food and Agriculture PRI Fund and Upcoming Events

RSF Social Finance officially launched their Food & Agriculture Program-Related Investing (PRI) Fund.   

Breaking Through Concrete (BTC) is a nationwide tour of urban farms in America.   BTC recently visited Growing Home's Wood Street Farm in Chicago to learn more about Growing Home's job training program.  

A new USDA Economic Research Service study examines the potential obesity-reducing effects of soda taxes. 

Jewel Osco is looking to shift its product selection as Wal-Mart prepares to build multiple stores in Chicago.  

Good Food for All has an updated Event Calendar, with many more events thanks to ChicagoRegen.com. 

Daily Digest: Obesity in Illinois, Dill Pickle Food Co-op, and Investing in Organic Farmland

Chicago Tonight has more news coverage on the recent study on obesity in Illinois and the construction of Wal-Marts in Chicago in the next five years.  

The Cook County Jail has a greenhouse which is providing high-quality local food to Chicago's restaurants.

AREA Chicago features an article on the Dill Pickle Food Co-op and how its members have managed the cooperative business model.  

Investing in organic and sustainable farmland is sparking more interest among Chicago consumers and investors. 

Daily Digest: FoodCorps, Farmers Markets, and Food Truck Legislation

FoodCorps is in the planning stages for developing an AmeriCorps School Garden and Farm to School program.  If you would like to participate in a working group, you can fill out this survey. 

Food truck legislation was delayed until further notice at the Chicago City Council meeting this week. 

To promote farmers markets across the country, American Farmland Trust is sponsoring its annual "America's Favorite Farmers Markets" contest.  Vote here! 

The USDA Food Environment Atlas is an excellent tool for food security and food access data. 

Prairie Fruits Farm in Champaign, IL will receive a USDA Value-Added Producer Grant to conduct a feasibility study and create a business plan "for an on-farm, goat-milk-to-gelato operation."  Click here to see what other Chicago foodshed farm enterprises will receive funding.  

Good Food for All has an updated listing of jobs and opportunities in the Chicago foodshed, as well as links to other useful websites. 

Fruit and Vegetable Study Reveals Significant Potential for New Jobs and Increased Income in Illinois

Illinois could gain more than 5400 jobs and over $988 million in retail sales through increased production and marketing of 28 types of fruits and vegetables for local consumption according to a major study of the economic potential of increased fruit and vegetable production in the upper Midwest. 

The same analysis shows that if local fruit and vegetable production were focused on the state's nearby major metro areas, including St. Louis, the potential gain could be approximately 4,100 jobs and over $783 million in retail sales. 

The study, done by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University and funded in part by Fresh Taste, reveals that meeting our entire statewide need for fruits and vegetables would require only about 69,000 acres of land, or just 0.3 percent of the state's 23.7 million acres of cropland. Just under 50,000 acres would be needed for the urban center option. 

To download the full press release,  click here. 

To read the full AP story, click here. 

The Leopold Center study is the first multi-state study in the upper Midwest to examine the potential economic benefits of fruit and vegetable production on a scale that would meet the needs of consumers in each of the six states.  Download the full report here. 

Daily Digest: Chicago Food Trucks, Green & Growing Fair and School Nutrition Classes

Chicago Tribune highlighted many of the programs encouraging healthy eating behaviors in Chicago area schools.  These include The Good Food Project, Seven Generations Ahead, and Common Threads.   Watch the video below. 

 

The 18th annual Green & Growing Fair will take place at the Garfield Park Conservatory on Saturday, April 24.  Download the 2010 brochure. 

TimeOut Chicago (TOC) is launching a Street Food Now campaign to raise awareness around increasing Chicago's food vendors. 

TOC also mentions Chicago Food Trucks, a group organizing to bring more mobile food trucks to the streets of Chicago.  

MyFoodshed.com and Purple Asparagus are organizing a series of screenings in Chicago of What's On Your Plate?, a documentary about two young girls who try to understand the origins of the food they eat. 

Daily Digest: Local Food Distribution Models, Fresh Food Consumption and Slow Money

The New York Times has a comparative infographic showing the amount of fresh food vs. packaged food consumption in the United States (via OrganicNation.TV). 

Join Illinois Stewardship Alliance in Springfield, IL, on Wednesday, April 28 for Local Food Awareness Day.  Activities will include legislative updates and a lobbying training.  Registration is due Monday, April 19.  

Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems in Wisconsin has a national map of local food distribution models.  View the map here. 

Secretary Vilsack visited RMH Foods, a meat processing facility in Morton, Illinois.  RMH is a recipient of a USDA Rural Development loan and the owners succeeded in maintaining the business and retaining over 130 jobs. 

To further its civil engagement, USDA released the Open Gov Plan, accessible here.  Anyone can register and submit ideas or feedback on the website. 

The Slow Money National Gathering "ISM" (Inspired by Slow Money) will take place June 9-11 at Shelburne Farms, Vermont.  Register and view the program schedule here. 

Daily Digest: Grow Montana, Local Food Entrepreneurs, and Wal-Mart in Chicago

Wal-Mart is having difficulty opening new stores in Chicago. 

Grow Montana produced this video to show the value of local food processing.  Watch the video below. 

The New York Times profiles jobless architects who are channeling their skills into new entrepreneurial endeavors. 

Lawmakers are asking USDA to increase regulations on the use of antibiotics in livestock. 

West Side restaurateur Eddie Pickens, Sr. talks about the generational gap between soul food and fast food. 

As backyard chickens are becoming increasingly popular in Chicago, so are pygmy goats. 

Slow Food USA President Josh Viertel shares his thoughts in The Atlantic, arguing that "Big Ag" will not feed the world. 

Daily Digest: Local Foods Bill in Indiana, School Gardens, and Community Food Enterprise

Indiana State Sen. Errington introduced a bill promoting locally grown foods to the legislature, similar in scope to the Illinois Food, Farms and Jobs Act. 

A Community Food Enterprise (CFE) panel and webinar will take place on Jan. 28 to discuss a new report on 24 CFE case studies. 

The Edible Schoolyard concept is extending beyond Berkeley, writes The New York Times.  Recently, an article in The Atlantic critiqued school gardens, spurring responses from Civil Eats, Growing in Chicago, and Grist.  

First Lady Michelle Obama plans to launch a nationwide campaign to reduce childhood obesity.  

A teacher in Illinois started a blog detailing her experience about eating school lunch every day in 2010. 

Daily Digest: Regional Foodsheds, Dill Pickle Co-op & Local vs. Non-Local Food Price Comparison

MIT and Columbia researchers propose that an integrated regional foodshed system can help combat obesity.  Click here to read more about additional models offered, such as mobile markets and food terminals.  

The Dill Pickle Food Co-op officially opened last week in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood.  To learn more about membership, visit the website. 

Is local food more expensive? The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture conducted a price comparison study between local and non-local foods purchased in Iowa.  Read the executive summary. 

Despite pledges from major food companies to advertise healthier foods to children, most products are still of low nutritional quality.