Building a Regional Food Action plan

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In the beginning months of 2021, the NEW Food Forum planning team distributed a survey to regional food system stakeholders to learn more about their roles throughout the regional foods value-chain and food policy areas that impact their work. 

Participation in the survey included 53 responses from 7 northeast Wisconsin counties and one sovereign nation. Respondents represented entities throughout the food system engaged in production, procurement, distribution, value-add and processing, farmers markets, pantries and meal prep, food waste and resource recovery, marketing, and education.  

In the survey, stakeholders ranked food issues based on the level of impact and relevance to their own work. In sum, the top 3 priority food policy areas in northeast Wisconsin are: Healthy Food Access  | Food Production | Food Sovereignty

NEW Food Forum’s next step is to build a Regional Food Action Plan that focuses on the 3 priority food issues.  We invite you to join a Work Group for one or more of these food issues!

Who:  Food System Stakeholders in northeast Wisconsin [NEW Food Forum]

Why:  To translate local food system values into policy that supports a full integrated, just and healthy regional foods system, in which all entities have sustaining success

How:  Working groups centered around the 3 priority food issues will meet for 2 facilitated workshops to identify Goals and Objectives for the Plan

When: Working groups will meet twice to develop a 2-year Regional Food Action Plan for 2022-23

NEW Food Forum Work Groups will engage in a regional food action planning process that is focused, inclusive and empowering for all stakeholders. 

• Engage food system stakeholders
• Capacity-building activities

• Outreach and communications
• Process designing
• Stakeholder survey

• Analyze survey results
• Create Food Action Plan shell based on survey results
• Host event to share results
• Food Issue work groups convene
• Use a facilitated process to identify Goals and Objectives for Food Action Plan

• Food Issue work groups convene 
• Use a facilitated process to identify Goals and Objectives for Food Action Plan

• Healthy Food Access
• Food Production
• Food Sovereignty

• Design Team
• Planning Team
• Advisory Team