At the most recent meeting of the Food Systems Assessment Task Force, we discussed some of the options for one or more goals that might be set for Ohio food systems.  Having such a target would give specific direction on long-term assessment of food systems and is very important in evaluating the impact of recommendations made by the Council.  Following is a distillation of the ideas generated in the discussion, so that you can be thinking about what the Council might recommend as one or more goals or targets (if you're reading this in your email, click the link after “Read more”).

Options fell into 3 general categories:
1.    A percentage change in sales, by market channel (e.g. grocery stores, food service, direct sales, through Ohio Proud promotion, etc.), of food that is produced (grown, raised, value-added, delivered) and consumed in Ohio.  Rationale:  This is the bottom line, a comprehensive view of how much of the entire human food chain is entirely resident within Ohio.  Example goal:  15% of Ohio food sales in food that is produced within Ohio by 2015.
2.    Increased capacity for processing, slaughter, distribution, etc. that is directly tied to local production.  We specifically refer to capacity that is directly tied to increased access of consumers to Ohio food and increased access of producers to Ohio markets.  Rationale:  This capacity is abundant in the national and global food system but often a key constraint in local food systems.  The capacity that does exist for the within-Ohio system resides in a different set of businesses than those serving the national/global food system.  Because of inspection and other regulation requirements, the data is generally more available here than at retail or production points in the food chain.  Example goal:  By 2015, 30 new food processing businesses (slaughter, packaging, freezing, canning, etc.) that purchase at least 90% of their raw products from Ohio producers and sell at least 90% of their products through market channels within Ohio.
3.    Increased access to food produced in Ohio to populations that currently do not have this access.  Rationale:  Access to food is lacking for many people in Ohio in such terms as grocery stores within a reasonably short driving or within walking distance, availability of fresh produce particularly during winter, access to meats that have been produced according to religious or cultural requirements and preferences.  Example goal:  By 2015, an increase by 50% of people in currently underserved areas having adequate access to fresh and affordable food from Ohio sources – or – A decrease by 75% in the Ohio land area in urban and rural food deserts.

As we’ve noted in previous Council meetings, we would be the first Council to recommend such a goal, if we choose to do so.  Other organizations that have set goals include the Kellogg Foundation, “ the end goal being a food system where at least 10% of retail food sales go toward Good Food (currently, about 2% of sales go toward Good Food)”, and local or regional food policy organizations (see attached pdf’s).  They rarely get down to the specific "what by when" that has been suggested above.

Food Systems Assessment Task Force members and others, please add comments if I’ve missed an important point from our discussion or you have additional thoughts that could help.