Northeast Ohio Food Congress

November 7th & 8th, 2008, Hiram College, Hiram, OH

The Northeast Ohio Food Congress invites you to join colleagues from 14 counties throughout the region as we explore the future of Northeast Ohio’s local food system.  Hosted by Hiram College, this two-day networking and educational event will feature contemporary local perspectives, informative presentations, tasty local eats, and inspiring field trips.  The Food Congress brings together urban and rural stakeholders from non-profits, governments, and businesses to identify opportunities for food system development, share best practices, and set goals for the local food economy.  Northeast Ohio is setting national trends in progressive food policy, and The Food Congress is our chance to assess, set priorities, and inspire action within the local food system.

Major Policy Areas of Focus will include:

• Supporting local producers and increasing productive capacity
• Enhancing critical food infrastructure
• Improving access to healthy food by under-served communities
• Strengthening linkages between farm and city
• Forming of county-level Food Policy Councils

Elements of a Sustainable Food System:

• Healthy – part of a balanced diet and not containing harmful biological or chemical contaminants;
• Proximate – originating from the closest practicable source or the minimization of energy use;
• Fairly or cooperatively traded between producers, processors, retailers, and consumers;
• Non-exploiting of employees in the food sector in terms of rights, pay and conditions;
• Environmentally beneficial environmentally or benign in its production (e.g. organic);
• Accessible both in terms of geographic access and affordability;
• High animal welfare standards in both production and transport;
• Socially inclusive of all people in society;
• Encouraging knowledge and understanding of food and food culture.

Tagged as: Agriculture, Consulting, Hiram College, Local Food, Sustainable Agriculture, Technology