Multnomah Food Summit

May 9, 2010 at 7:37 pm Leave a comment

On May 1st, Ecotone members Elizabeth and Kate attended the Multnomah Food Summit to gather food-related policy information. The summit was the kick-off for the second phase of the Multnomah Food Initiative, a four-phase project to develop and implement a long-term food action plan for the county. The action plan will be developed through December 2010 and implementation will begin in 2011.

The draft action plan has four areas of focus:

Local Food: Increase viable local options in our food system
Healthy Eating: Make the healthy choice an easier choice for all
Social Equity: Build systemic justice, health and food security
Economic Vitality: Promote a thriving local economy

The day-long summit was a success, with more than 250 individuals and organizations contributing to the action plan dialogue. Attendees participated in three roundtable discussions on the draft action plan framework and priorities, giving diverse food-related organizations opportunities to fill in action area details. There were also several breaks to allow for informal networking, and a number of informative presentations.

Event speakers included Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Multnomah County Commissioner Judy Shiprack, Jon Stubenvoll of the Oregon Food Bank, Latricia Tillman from the Oregon Office of Multicultural Health, Andy Fisher from the Community Food Security Coalition and Judith Bell of PolicyLink.