Key Points
- Clinton County now has a Food Action Plan that can help align food system stakeholders around a common set of principles and goals.
- Community members are encouraged to read the new action plan and get involved with efforts to make the local food system healthier, accessible, affordable, and sustainable.
It
All Starts with a Plan
How can our
community come together to ensure that everyone can access the fresh,
delicious, nutritious food they need to thrive and stay healthy?
How can
food system stakeholders — from farmers and gardeners that grow the food, to
business and institutions that deliver the food — work together to promote sustainability
and reduce waste?
And how
can our community make food purchasing choices that support and expand the
local food economy?
We now
have a clear set of answers to questions like these!
The
Clinton County Health Department (CCHD) is excited to announce the launch of
the Clinton County Food Action Plan (CCFAP).
Developed
in partnership with ChangeLab Solutions, a national nonprofit that uses
the tools of law and policy to advance health equity, this food action plan
establishes goals and priorities for food system partners and stakeholders.
Specifically,
it creates a roadmap around which local government agencies, hospitals,
community-based organizations, businesses, resident groups, and other food
system stakeholders can coordinate their work.
Putting
the Plan into Action
The food
action plan focuses on four primary goals:
1.
Enhancing collaboration and cohesion among existing food system stakeholders,
2.
Supporting the local food and agricultural economy,
3.
Reducing the amount of food waste sent to landfills and increasing the recovery
of unused, edible food for community use, and
4.
Increasing access to healthy and affordable foods
The plan
outlines actions and strategies that local food system stakeholders can take to
collectively strengthen and enhance our food system and sustain improvements in
the long term.
Based on
extensive research about the existing food system practices, partners, and
policies in Clinton County, the plan identifies starting steps and strategies
that stakeholders can take to implement suggested actions and strategies.
The plan
also recommends potential measurements that stakeholders can use to track and
evaluate their progress in following the action plan’s suggestions.
Lastly,
the Clinton County plan offers examples from other communities throughout the
United States that have pursued similar approaches to revamping their local
food system.
Planning
for a Healthier Clinton County
With so
many different business, public institutions, and community organizations that
intersect with the Clinton County food system, there is no one size fits all
solution to improving the local food system.
While
comprehensive and extensively researched, it is important to note that this
plan is a living document. It is intended to be reviewed and revised to adapt
to changing environments and community conditions.
The
action plan serves as a starting point — to galvanize and unite food system
actors around a common set of goals and priorities. The plan will be a driving
document to guide and sustain partnership and initiatives into the future.
Our hope
is that by coordinating food system stakeholders, and evaluating the food
system from beginning to end, we will be able to decrease the prevalence of
food insecurity and diet-based diseases, like obesity and diabetes, within the
Clinton County community.
We are
genuinely excited to see how this plan leads to profound, positive change in
Clinton County in the years ahead.
Take Action
- Read
the full length Clinton County Food Action Plan (CCFAP) here.
- Contact
us for additional information.
Patrick
Glass
Digital
Content Developer
ChangeLab
Solutions
