>> THERE'S TRUTH TO THE ADD GANG

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.

OUR DIETS AND HEALTH ARE CLOSELY

RELATED.

MANY CHICAGOANS IN UNDERSERVED

NEIGHBORHOODS ON THE SOUTH AND

WEST SIDES ARE NOT WITHIN

WALKING DISTANCE OF A GROCERY

STORE.

LEAVING THEM WITH FEWER

NUTRITIONAL OPTIONS AND MORE

VULNERABLE TO DIET-RELATED

DISEASES.

THIS ISSUE AND MORE WILL BE THE

FOCUS OF THE 15TH ANNUAL CHICAGO

FOOD POLICY SUMMIT A FREE EVENT

FRIDAY.

JOINING US IS RODGER COOLEY THES

USE ACTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FOOD

POLICY ACTION COUNCIL.

WELCOME TO "CHICAGO TONIGHT".

>> THANK YOU.

>> FIRST IF YOU WOULD TELL US

BRIEFLY A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR

NONPROFIT AND WHAT IS THE FOOD

POLICY SUMMIT HAPPENING ON

FRIDAY?

>> WE ARE THE CHICAGO FOOD

POLICY ACTION COUNCIL AND WE

FOCUS ON BRINGING TOGETHER

COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND

ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE LOOKING AT

WANTING TO PROVIDE AND CREATE A

FOOD SYSTEM THAT PROVIDES MORE

JUST FOOD SYSTEM THAT WOULD HELP

IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF FOLKS,

IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF

THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

OF OUR FOOD SYSTEM AND ECONOMIC

OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITIES

WHO HAVE BEEN CUT OUT FROM FOOD

OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH BUSINESSES

AND ALSO HOW IT CAN CONNECT TO

THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF

MORE VULNERABLE POPULATIONS OF

CHILDREN, ELDERLY FOLKS.

WHILE WORKING WITH THE CITY

DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES WHO

TOUCH FOOD IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

WHETHER IT'S THE ZONING WHERE

STORES WOULD BE LOCATED.

THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

RESOURCES FOR CORNER STORES THAT

COULD SELL HEALTHIER FOOD.

HOW LAND WILL BE ALLOCATED FOR

URBAN FARMS AND GARDENS AND

WHERE IS THE WATER GOING TO COME

FROM FOR MAKING SURE THE CROPS

MAKE SURE THEY GET THE WATER AND

PUBLIC HEALTH AND HOW FOLKS ARE

LEARNING WHERE THE OPPORTUNITIES

TO GET HEALTHIER FOOD AND MAKE

BETTER CHOICES.

>> YOU SAID A JUST FOOD SYSTEM.

WHAT IS A JUST FOOD SYSTEM?

>> FOR US IT DOES HIT THE

DIFFERENT VALUES.

ONE, THERE IS A LOT OF COVERAGE

ABOUT INEQUITIES IN TERMS OF HOW

THE LIFESPAN WITHIN CHICAGO.

CAN YOU GO FIVE, 10 MILES IT CAN

BE A 30-YEAR GAP AND A LOT OF

THAT COMES DOWN TO DIET-RELATED

DISEASES AND COMES DOWN TO FOLKS

ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD OR ALSO

BEING ABLE TO PURCHASE THAT

HEALTHY FOOD IF IT IS IN THEIR

AREA.

TRYING TO MAKE THAT BRIDGE

BETWEEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

OPPORTUNITY AND PATHWAYS FOR

FOLKS IN ALL COMMUNITIES TO BE

ABLE TO MAKE AN INCOME LIVING

THROUGH FOOD AND BE ABLE TO HAVE

IT AND ABLE TO SUSTAIN THEIR

LIVES.

WHILE NOURISHING THE LARGER

ENVIRONMENT.

>> WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HURDLES.

YOU TOUCHED ON IT A BIT.

WHAT ARE THE HURDLES THAT

COMMUNITIES IN CHICAGO FACE?

>> SURE.

SOME OF IT'S BEEN AROUND

LONGSTANDING REDLINING OF THAT

WOULD HAVE CAUSED FOLKS TO MOVE

NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS AND BUILD

COMMUNITY WEALTH.

WHEN THERE ARE EPISODES LIKE THE

RECESSION IN A LOT OF

NEIGHBORHOODS FOLKS GET

DISPLACED BECAUSE OF FORECLOSES

OR BEING EVICTED FOR WHEN THEY

CANNOT AFFORD THE RENT CAUSES A

DOWNWARD SPIRAL IN THE

COMMUNITIES.

RETAILORS ARE LEAVING.

SO THEY ARE NOT HAVING ACCESS TO

FOOD.

AND THE FOLKS ARE NOT HAVING

ACCESS TO JOBS SO THEY ARE

BECOMING DEPENDENT ON BENEFITS

TO MAKE BARELY ENDS MEET.

AND IT'S CHALLENGING FOR SMALL

BUSINESSES TO NAVIGATE

ESPECIALLY FOLKS IMMIGRANTS

MAYBE ENGLISH IS NOT THE FIRST

LANGUAGE AND THEY DON'T HAVE THE

SAME CULTURES AND REGULATIONS

HERE.

AND IT CAN BE CHALLENGING TO

PASS THROUGH THE LAYERS OF

BUREAUCRACY AND GETTING ACCESS

TO FUNDS AND RESOURCES TO START

AND GROW THEIR BUSINESSES.

>> THIS IS THE 15TH ANNUAL FOOD

POLICY SUMMIT.

CAN YOU POINT TO SUCCESSES OR

OUT COMES OVER PREVIOUS YEARS?

>> SURE.

SOME THINGS WE HAVE WORKED ON IN

THE PAST WAS IMPROVED COMPOST

LEGISLATION THAT TOOK PLACE AT

THE STATE AND THEN THE CITY

LEVEL TO ALLOW FOLKS TO COMPOST

IN COMMUNITY GARDENS OR DO IT

COMMERCIALLY SO WE COULD HAVE

HEALTHY SOILS FOR URBAN

AGRICULTURE AND FARMING.

LOOKING AT URBAN ZONING.

TECHNICALLY ILLEGAL TO FARM

FOR-PROFIT IN THE CITY UNTIL THE

ZONING WAS CHANGED CHANGED IN 2.

AND OUR BIGGEST ONE WAS IN 2015

WE WORKED ON AND GOT 40

ORGANIZATIONS TO SIGN OFF AT THE

SUMMIT TO PASS THE GOOD FOOD

PURCHASING PROGRAM AND PASSED

WITH THE CITY AND COUNTY WHICH

SET STANDARDS FOR THE FOOD

PURCHASED OR SERVED AT COUNTY

AND CITY AGENCIES WHICH COVERS

320 MILLION A YEAR IN FOOD

BUDGETS.

>> HAS MAYOR LIGHTFOOT BE

RECEPTIVE TO YOUR EFFORTS?

>> SHE HAS BEEN AT LAST YEAR'S

SUMMIT WE HAD A MAYOR'S FORUM

FOR THE CANDIDATES ON FOOD AND

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.

AND SHE CAME OUT VERY MUCH IN

FAVOR OF A LOT OF OUR PLATFORM

ISSUES DURING THE SESSION.

AND SO WE'VE GOTTEN NOTHING BUT

CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM HER

ADMINISTRATION.

>> IF YOU COULD SORT OF GRAB A

COLLECTIVE EAR OF THE CITY

COUNCIL AND MAYBE ADVOCATE FOR A

TOP PRIORITY WHAT WOULD THOSE

PRIORITIES BE?

>> I THINK REALLY HOW LEVERAGING

THE OPPORTUNITYIES IN THE SOUTH

AND WEST SIDES FOR DIRECTING

CITY RESOURCES IN A DIRECTED WAY

AND FOCUSED WAY.

INCLUDING THE DEPARTMENT OF

PLANNING FOR HOW LAND USE IS

ALLOCATED FOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR

GETTING FOLKS ON THE LAND AND

VACANT SPACES NOT RESERVING IT

FOR DEVELOPMENT DOWN THE ROAD.

LOOKING AT HOW THEN THE

DEPARTMENTS CAN COLLABORATE

AROUND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND

RESOURCES FOR GETTING JOB

TRAINING AND GETTING FOLKS

CONNECTED TO THE SOUTHWEST IS A

GREAT HEADSTART BUT THE BARRIERS

THAT FOLKS WHO WERE STARTING

WITH ZERO INCOME OR SAVINGS TO

BE ABLE TO GET THE GRANTS AND

LOANS THEY NEED TO START TO

BECOME ACTIVE PARTNERS.

>> RODGER COOLEY THANK YOU FOR

JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU.

>> AGAIN THE 15TH ANNUAL CHICAGO

FOOD POLICY SUMMIT IS TAKING

PLACE FRIDAY 9:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.

AT THE SOUTH SHORE CULTURAL