Chattanooga/Hamilton County Food Coalition Community Food System Data Collection and Synthesis M.K. Wilson December 15, 2012 Wilson 1 Table of Contents Chattanooga/Hamilton County Food Coalition Vision, Mission, and Values………………..3 Food Policy Council and Coalitions……………………………………….………………….3-4 Food Systems and Food Security, Conceptual Frameworks……………………………..…4-6 Food Policy, Food Systems, and Food Security…………………………………...…………7-8 Health……………………………………………………………………...…………………..9-11 Food Systems Education……………………………………………………..……………..12-15 Production and Consumption………………………………………………...……………16-24 Access…………………………………………………………………………………..…….25-30 Food Security……………………………………………………………………………..…30-34 Composting…………………………………………………………………………………..….35 Diffusion Theory………………………………………………………………………………..36 Considerations………………………………………………………...………………….…36-37 References……………………………………………………………………………………37-38 Wilson 2 Chattanooga/Hamilton County Food Coalition Vision The vision of the Chattanooga/Hamilton County Food Coalition is a community with a thriving, comprehensive, and just local food system, where everyone has access to fresh and healthy food. Mission The mission of the Chattanooga/Hamilton County Food Coalition is to play a proactive role in creating a healthy sustainable local food economy through educating, advocacy, policy development, and collaboration. Values The Chattanooga/Hamilton County Food Coalition believes: • Access to healthy food is a basic human right • Fairness and justice should be fundamental characteristics of the entire food system: production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste recovery. • It is important to promote local agriculture and preserve farmland to create a healthy and sustainable community. • The food system should exist for the safety and health of everyone. • A healthy food system benefits the local economy. Food Policy Councils and Coalitions Tennessee is home to the country’s oldest Food Policy Council (FPC). Created in 1982, the city of Knoxville’s Food Policy Council began a comprehensive approach to food planning and security and became a model for proactive food systems thinking, organization, and action (knoxvillepolicycouncil.com). There are approximately 79 Food Policy Councils at the state or local level throughout the United States (CDC, 2009). “The central aim of most of today’s Food Policy Councils is to identify and propose innovative solutions to improve local or state food systems, making them more environmentally sustainable and socially just” (Harper, Shattuck, Holt-Gimenez, Alkon, & Lambick, 2009) A Food Policy Council differs from a Food Coalition in that councils are typically sanctioned and appointed by local government officials, while coalitions are not (Winne, Joseph, & Fisher, 1997). “Coalitions are seen as a primary way of promoting intersectoral health action” (Hawe & Stickney, 1997). Garrett and Feenstra (1999) suggest that foundational to building successful Wilson 3 coalitions is joining relevant stakeholders from multiple formal and informal organizations in collaborative efforts. Community Food Coalitions build a defined organization and engage in structured, well-organized activities that benefit from a multi-participant initiative rather than a single group participation (Winne, Joseph, & Fisher, 1997). Winne et al. (1997), describes the following benefits of forming a coalition (as cited in Garrett and Feenstra, 1999): • Allows the group to tackle complex issues through the insights of the multiple components of a food system • Improves coordination of services through increased communication of the coalition members • Policy development can be accomplished through the various constituencies brought to the table by the coalition members • Resources can be leveraged by in-kind match of project resources • Spreads the work by adding more players to an issue or project • Improves project viability by committing more groups to the issue or project • Provides perspective through the diversity of the members’ experiences • Builds multi-sector involvement in community food systems by groups not normally associated with food and agriculture programs Food Systems and Food Security The food system is defined as “the integrated process by which food is produced locally, imported, is packaged, processed, distributed/marketed, consumed, and the waste stream managed through reuse, composting, and disposal” (Ashmead & Zbeetnoff, 2009). Goals of a Community Food System (Garrett & Feenstra, 1999) Wilson 4 “The way in which the food system makes food available, accessible, acceptable, and adequate, affects the human, environmental, and economic health and the social equality of individuals and the economic health of communities. There are functional relationships between the regions’ food system and each of these factors” (Ashmead & Zbeetnoff, 2009). Deficiencies within a food system are important in understanding and assessing a food system, as well as cornerstones for mobilizing a community (Garrett & Feenstra, 1999). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA, 2012) defines food security and insecurity in the following categories: Food Security • High food security: no reported indications of food-access problems or limitations. • Marginal food security: one or two reported indications--typically of anxiety over food sufficiency or shortage of food in the house. Little or no indication of changes in diets or food intake. Food Insecurity • Low food security: reports of reduced quality, variety, or desirability of diet. Little or no indication of reduced food intake. • Very low food security: Reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake. Wilson 5 The following graphs show U.S. households by food security status and households with children by food security status (USDA, 2011). In addition the Food Security Logic Model (Ashmead & Zbeetnoff, 2009) serves as the conceptual framework for food security measurement indicators. Enhanced Food Security Logic Model Fundamentals Actions -Outputs Outcomes - Impacts Affordability (income, cost of food) Outputs -Actions Improved (actions, programs, Economic, Human, policies to improve Environmental, food security status of and Social Health Knowledge individuals and communities) (education, training on nutrition, health) The Fo Food System Food Security Measurement Indicators (efficacy of production, land use, processing, dist., and marketing system) Wilson 6 The Food Security Logic Model (Ashmead & Zbeetnoff, 2009) coincides with the stated values of the Chattanooga/Hamilton County Food Coalition. The Chattanooga/Hamilton County Food Coalition believes: • Access to healthy food is a basic human right • Fairness and justice should be fundamental characteristics of the entire food system: production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste recovery. • It is important to promote local agriculture and preserve farmland to create a healthy and sustainable community. • The food system should exist for the safety and health of everyone. • A healthy food system benefits the local economy. Food Policy Council/Coalition, Food Systems & Food Security The Center for Disease Control (2009) compiled a listing by state of policy and environmental indicators including state-level farm-to-school policies, middle and high school competitive fruit and vegetable programs, percentages of farmers markets accepting EBT and WIC, and healthy food retail availability. Coinciding with this information, the data reflects the number of state and local food policy councils. National Data (CDC, 2009) • 72% of census tracts have healthier food retailers located within the tract 8 states have a state level policy for healthier food retail • 1.7 farmers markets per 100,000 U.S. residents • 8% of farmers markets accept electronic benefits transfer (EBT) • 28% of farmers markets accept WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons • 21% of middle and high schools offer fruits and non-fried vegetables as competitive foods • 21 states have a state-level policy for Farm to School • 2.5% of U.S. cropland acreage is harvested for fruits and vegetables • 20 states have a state-level Food Policy Council • 59 local Food Policy Councils exist around the country Tennessee Data (CDC, 2009) • 68% of census tracts have healthier food retailers located within the tract • 1 farmers markets per 100,000 U.S. residents • 0% of farmers markets accept electronic benefits transfer (EBT) • 9.2% of farmers markets accept WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons • 14.7%% of middle and high schools offer fruits and non-fried vegetables as competitive foods • States have a state-level policy for Farm to School • .8% of U.S. cropland acreage is harvested for fruits and vegetables Wilson 7 • No state-level Food Policy Council • 2 local Food Policy Councils Wilson 8 Health One of the goals of a community food system is to promote human health (Garrett & Feenstra, 1999). With 70% of adults in Tennessee currently classified as overweight or obese, the projected rate by 2025 will be almost 80% (Tennessee Statewide Nutrition Plan, 2010). Tennesseans have considerable opportunity to improve their health through promotion of healthy food consumption and healthy environments. The Center for Disease Control (Healthy Community Design Checklist) suggests healthier and more affordable food choices as a key component to in creating a healthier community design. Healthier food choices in grocery stores, community gardens, farmers markets, and fewer fast food/convenience/liquor