Dynamics of Destructive Polarisation in Mainstream and Social Media: The Case...
Colasanti & simmons Good Food Charter
1. The Michigan Good Food Charter Kathryn Colasanti Academic Specialist C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at MSU Kirsten Simmons Executive Director Michigan Food Policy Council
4. Opportunity: Good Food WHAT IF… 10 Million Michigan Residents Had Good Food Daily? Michigan Would Be the Place To Be
5. The Time Has Come To Develop a Locally-Integrated Food System in Michigan A dynamic blend of local direct; local indirect; regional; national and global With criteria for “local” If we can we should
6. Michigan in the 21st Century We envision a thriving economy, equity and sustainability for all of Michigan and its people through a food system rooted in local communities and centered on good food— food that is healthy, green fair and affordable.
7. Michigan in the 21st Century Thriving Economy Our farms and food businesses sustain farmers, owners and workers and contribute to vibrant Michigan communities. Equity Sustainability We have a diverse and resilient food system that protects our cultural, ecological and economic assets. All people have access to good, Michigan-grown food, and our young people can thrive.
8. Goals for the Next Ten Years MI institutions source 20% of food from MI MI farmers profitably supply 20% of all MI markets and pay fair wages Generate businesses at a rate that enables 20% of MI food to come from MI 80% of MI residents will have good food access 100% of school meals and 75% of schools selling food will meet MI Nutrition Standards MI schools will incorporate food & ag into preK-12 curricula
15. What Can You Do? Review the charter Identify candidates in your area Ask candidates what they would do to support priorities that are important to you Post candidate responses on FoodSpeak listserv Plan a regional good food candidate discussion YOUR IDEAS
So with that context in mind, we developed a vision statement to reflect what we want Michigan to be in the 21st century and how the food system relates to that
So what does that mean? What would our food system look like if we achieved that vision?Now these are long-term aims to strive for, but over the next 10 years, we think we can make significant progress towards these aims
The charter lays out 6 specific goals that we think we can achieve by 2020 and that will have a major impact on moving us towards greater sustainability, equity and a thriving economyRight now, according to the MI Dept. of Agriculture, 59% of Michigan residents – some of whom are living in each of the 83 counties of our state – don’t have adequate access to healthy foodMichigan is currently discussing state level nutrition standards and we’re proposing that as those are adopted more schools continue to phase out selling foods – through vending machines, a la carte sales, at sports games – that do not meet these standards
Another way that we can support Michigan farmers, indirectly, as well as really catalyze economic development through the food system is to start to incentivize Michigan marketsWe think there are opportunities where an initial infusion of dollars could help build the connections between growers and sellers in ways that would have a long term benefit of circulating Michigan dollars in Michigan communitiesRight now schools spend about 20-30 cents per lunch of fruits and vegetables. If we designated economic development funds to match what they already spend with an additional 10 cents for the purchase of Michigan-grown produce, based on the 142 million lunches served annually, that would mean 14 million for Michigan farmersIf the full 30 cents per meal budget was designated for Michigan produce, it would represent more than 42 millionAnd I should note here too that some of these things have price tags associated with them. And we do realize that the state is in a budget crisis and that there is not a lot of room for new spending. But we also realize that there are decisions made all the time about how state money is spent and we do spend money on economic development. And we want to make the argument that deciding to divert money that the state is already spending to some of these priorities presents an opportunity to build up our ag economy and promote healthier people and more vibrant communities.
- Some strategies cut across food system sectors and really get at supporting the economic development of the food system comprehensively
- And finally, some strategies included in the charter relate to the people that make up the food system, including our youth who represent our future food and agriculture economy
So now we want to turn the discussion to how to take all the priorities that have been identified in the charter and make sure they get heardAnd how to use the charter to engage a broad range of stakeholders in these issuesAnd particularly how to use the charter to inform the upcoming electionsSo we have some ideas and we have some forthcoming resources to support them but we also want to engage you all in a discussion of what you think makes sense from your perspective and based on the people you work with and the community you are a part of