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7 Exploring Cases of Food System Evolution: Federal Programs and the Private Sector
Pages 59-66

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From page 59...
... She began by suggesting that to learn faster, funders should encourage and fund research that applies food systems and transdisciplinary approaches. She pointed out that focus of this session on evolution rather than innovation was appropriate because federal programs have been addressing local food system issues for a long time, and have not seen the sudden changes characteristic of innovations discussed in previous sessions.
From page 60...
... Kovacs explained that USDA Rural Development has the Value Added Producer Grant program, which was established in 2000 and has been adapted through several farm bills since then. In the 2018 Farm Bill, this program, which supports local marketing and other value-added activities for producers, was combined with the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Programs of the Agricultural Marketing Service to establish a cross-agency Local Agriculture Markets Program (LAMP)
From page 61...
... Coordination of Federal Programs Addressing Local Foods According to Kovacs, overall there are at least 30 USDA programs relating to the local food supply chain. She manages an interagency workgroup charged with coordinating USDA staff involved in these initiatives and enabling them to stay informed about relevant activities at other agencies.
From page 62...
... McQuillan drew an analogy with wasting gas to illustrate the point that Americans waste large amounts of food without considering the impact on the environment. McQuillan went on to describe Baldor as a food distribution company whose business consists of 75 percent produce and 25 percent specialty foods, such as chocolate, olive oil, and caviar.
From page 63...
... AUDIENCE DISCUSSION McQuillan opened the audience discussion by responding to an audience member's question about reducing food waste, pointing out that Baldor had donated 2 million pounds of food to local people who are food insecure. In response to another audience member's question about food safety concerns with donated food, he stated that Good Samaritan laws protect entities that donate food as long as it is stored properly and donated to a nonprofit organization that will treat the food responsibly.
From page 64...
... Another audience member suggested that the conversation shift away from feeding hungry people with leftover food to recognizing food and nutrition as human rights. McQuillan acknowledged that Baldor could be more purposeful with its donations and use its capacity to help distribute food to people in need in addition to donating whatever leftover food it may have.
From page 65...
... • Some of the best innovations, such as terminal markets, local production, farmers' markets, and methods for reducing food waste may be reminiscent of the past.


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