CCFB News» June 2021

Members of the Cook County Farm Bureau Governmental Affairs Committee continue their efforts to update policy, this time turning their attention to nutrition policy.

Many of Illinois' urban communities lack access to fresh produce and other nutritious grocery goods. In fact, at least 500,000 Illinoisans have limited or no direct access to local stores.

Generally, the draft policy supports:

• Nutrition being used as a preventive health program to reduce the prevalence of chronic disease.
• Nutrition education and counseling for individuals, including pregnant and nursing women, children, and the elderly.
• Science-based nutritional guidelines that offer consistency between foods available for purchase and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women Infant and Children (WIC).
• Science-based nutritional parameters for government food procurement for government ran facilities including prisons, health care facilities, and government buildings.
• The development and funding for community wellness programs that provide for the social, economic, environmental, and cultural needs of a community.
• Scienced-based nutritional, objective labels for processed food.
• Farm to Foodbank programs to provide farmers with additional end markets for commodities, to expand the supply of fresh food to food banks, to increase food security while reducing food loss, and to foster a statewide circular economy.
• Local science-based programs that address health and economic disparities within a community.

Members interested in offering their thoughts our comments are encouraged to contact Bona Heinsohn at 708-354-3276 or via email at [email protected].