Naturally Chicago’s Post

Creating a local distribution network for fresh produce in small markets! It's been interesting to find the flash points between what's seasonal, culturally in demand, and affordable in our regional foodshed. Now in six stores, the next phase of the program involves ramping up quantity, and hosting community pop-ups with local chefs, growers, and educators. Ultimately, a piece of the puzzle in ending food apartheid.

Should be an interesting conference for those working in the food sector.

Check out the latest blog post from the National Right to Food Community of Practice. Join us for the 2024 National Right to Food Summit in Syracuse!

A brilliant article!

Explore Lakeland's Food Safety and Quality program and learn about our Cooperative Education in FSQ by checking out page 25 of the FaB Wisconsin's 2023 Annual Report.

I've been working with Justin Zeulner since meeting him at the early months of the COVID lockdowns when massive amounts of fish and shoreline proteins were locked in freezers and storage units in Alaska with nowhere to go, as restaurants, casinos, cruise ships, etc. were all shutdown globally. Justin, working with more seasoned Emergency Food Response organizations in the NW activated and using their resources and connections - got TONS, like thousands of TONS of fish and coastal food products where it could help! During the course of 10 months I personally participated in driving through snowstorms, flooding, and backroads of Oregon and Washington delivering food and supplies to the Tribal Centers, community centers, the Tacoma Dome, and food drop locations along the I-5 corridor. The conversations around regional food systems and the infrastructure that supports its resilience and function are active and growing. Of course they are, right? Our global and local food systems are in a tenuous situation right now - and it is not money or tech that will repair and innovate the food system at the human level, which is where the actual solutions and problem solving happens. The discussion to practice or action is happening now. And more people, especially larger companies, agencies, and previously less-interested parties, are now very interested in how to manage waste, improve supply procurement, ensure cold-chain continuity under shocks or stressors, and/or localize their food sourcing, etc. The community of practice is starting to gain ground around what an equitable, sustainable, accessible, and value-based regional-to-local food system looks like, sounds like, works, and how it functions from the soil up. If these topics are in your bandwidth, I'd attend! See you there! April 24th in Portland, OR #foodsystemsinnovation #regionalfoodsystems #regionalfoodhub #bipocgrowers #blackfoodnw #foodaccessfoodequity #foodisinfrastructure

You heard it fellas - eat your leafy greens, if you know what's good for ya 🥬 Video of our interview with Dr Chidi Ngwaba, watch the full video on the PBN YouTube channel.

ICYMI: RIFPC's April newsletter is out (and in your inbox)! 📖 In this issue: We recap last month's first "Good Food Policy Day", and celebrate the 2021 LASA Grantees projects showcase. Plus, we've extended the deadline for proposal submission for Compost Research to Friday, May 3rd! Submit a proposal or share this post with someone who should! ⬇️ Get all the details on upcoming events, headlines from this month, and more good food content and upcoming events that are "worth your time"!

📺 WATCH: We chatted with Eric Dell, JD, MBA, president and CEO, American Bakers Association, about #ABAconvention and what attendees should expect at the conference. Will we see you there?

IF YOU HAVE EVER WONDERED WHAT A VISIONARY COMMUNITY LEADER SOUNDS LIKE 'If kids grow kale, kids eat kale.' We can tell in a SINGLE sentence how experienced someone is at anything. A single sentence. That is life. No 'lie detector' or intelligence agency or facial-muscle scan necessary. More importantly. We can't FAKE INSPIRATION. Either we are inspiring, or we aren't we are knowledgeable, or we aren't we are capable, or we aren't we are dedicated, or we aren't we are internationally and historically powerful and commanding, or we aren't we are healing our communities, or we aren't we are healing the world, or we aren't we are helping the world, or we aren't we are the leading authority on what we speak about, or we aren't we care way more about looking polite or we care way more about actually helping people we care way more about being seen to say the VERY PRETTIEST WORDS AND ENFORCE OUR RULES ABOUT WHAT PRETTY LITTLE WORDS SHOULD BE SAID, or we care about getting things done As humans we have finite resources. Limited energy, days on this earth and limited things we can care about. What do we care about? What communities? What local problems do we see? What local solutions do we find? To stare at the news of FAR FLUNG GOSSIP and GOSSIP ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN FAR AWAY LANDS? You can criticise CLIMATE CHANGE DENIERS. But what about COMMUNITY DENIERS. Pop quiz: Which popular TV show features the catch phrase: 'We're living in a COMMUNITY!' Hint: It wasn't COMMUNITY. Hint: It was the biggest sitcom in human history. What is simply and definitely IS. What isn't simply and definitely ISN'T. As much as I care about the environment, the battles I pick daily are more important. The REALITY DENIERS. The COMMUNITY DENIERS. The INNOVATION DENIERS. Why? We need innovative communities to KNOW THE REALITIES OF THE PROBLEMS HUMANITY ACTUALLY FACES. In our homes, in our offices, in our schools, in our colleges, in our governments, in our trade talks - in our media and entertainment industries. But firstly. Within our own fine selves. We must sort ourselves out first. We must think clearly. Then we must speak clearly. Then we must collaborate clearly. And we must always focus on what our BEST INTENTIONS ARE. If ever you don't know, it's VERY LIKELY you forgot to SIMPLY ASK YOURSELF. Communication is like this. If you can't and don't and won't communicate smartly, clearly and honestly with yourself... How and why do you expect you will be able to communicate smartly, clearly and honestly with anyone else? Everything requires practice. So we must talk to ourselves inside our head. But we are coming from a time when we called THINKING 'crazy'. We literally did. 'Do you hear voices? Do you talk to yourself? Do you talk to yourself when you're alone? Do you talk too much? Do you say INNOVATIVE things that NON INNOVATIVE HITLERS LIKE ME WILL HATE?' So, human souls were banned. By cartels. Now we are free again. So, talk.