Good Food for All

Daily Digest: Local Meat Processing and LINK Redemption Availability at Chicago Farmers Markets

Record sales for SNAP redemption were posted at the Daley Plaza farmers market last week.  Experimental Station launched the EBT/LINK program at five farmers markets this year, in addition to offering a double value redemption program at 61st Street Farmers Market.  The food stamp credit program will be available at Lincoln Square and South Shore farmers markets this week. 

Crain's has two articles focusing on the local food movement and creating distribution networks for locally grown food in Illinois.   

USDA released a study on gaps in small-scale slaughter processing availability.  Click here to read the full release and here to see a slideshow with detailed maps. 

Healthy Schools Campaign highlights the Go for the Gold campaign and how Chicago Public Schools are adopting the Gold Standard for the HealthierUS School Challenge with their school lunch menus. 

Daily Digest: Illinois' Healthiest Counties, Farmers Market Forums, and Healthy Food Financing Initiative

The Obama Administration released more details on the Healthy Food Financing Initiative. 

Register here for an upcoming Farmers Market Forum in Carter, Rockford, Urbana, or Chicago, IL.  

View the new members of the Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Council.  The first meeting of the council will take place on Wednesday, March 3rd in Springfield, IL. 

Healthy Youth Partnership in St. Louis is organizing a Regional Food Summit next week.  

Chicago aldermen are proposing a ban on foam food containers in Chicago Public Schools. 

Suburban and small farming areas rank as some of Illinois' healthiest counties, according to a new report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 

A new resolution in the Illinois General Assembly would create an identification system for sensitive crops in order to reduce chemical drift.  

Link to: 

Sustainable Food Jobs & Opportunities 

Blog Roll Tuesday

Here is a sample of local food and agriculture news in the Chicago foodshed from this week: 

University of Illinois Extension's blog, Locally Grown:  HB3990 Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act passed the Illinois General Assembly. 

Food Works' blog, Eat Southern Illinois:  The first event in the state-wide Organic Farm Field Days series begins Friday, June 12th.  The first farm tours will focus on beginning organic farmers and choice to certify or not. 

The Local Beet announces a sweepstakes to win 2 tickets to Growing Home's benefit on June 11th. Simply submit a true story describing why or how you've changed the way you shop for food. 

Real Food Challenge announces its Midwest Real Food Training in Ames, IA for students and young activists interested in local food, July 11-13th. 

The online food marketplace is taking off with new innovations, according to a recent Wired article.  FarmsReach is a new interweb tool to connect farms directly with restaurants. 

HB3990 Passes State Senate

HB3990 (The Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act) passed the Illinois State Senate floor today with a vote of 57-1. 

The bill will now return to the House for concurrence on the amendments introduced in the Senate.  After another House vote, it will go to Governor Pat Quinn for approval. 

More info to follow soon on calling your State Representative.  

Click on these links to read more about the bill and the Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Task Force.

IL Food and Farm Task Force Give Press Conference

The Illinois Local Food and Farm Task Force presented their full report in Springfield yesterday.

To view the full report. visit the new website to view the press release, report, and executive summary.  The new legislation, HB 3990 (Illinois Local Food, Farms, and Jobs Act) is not available yet on the IL General Assembly website, but it will be soon.

The report generated a signficant amount of press, including this article in the Peoria Journal Star.

Click on the video from the Blue Room to watch a live stream of the press conference.