The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) will release the region's first Regional Food Assessment and Plan on April 22, 2010 at the beautiful Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Community Garden Campus at Franklin Park Conservatory. The document, funded by the Columbus Foundation, is the culmination of nearly a year's worth of work by MORPC's Agriculture and Food Systems Working Group, which included and reached out to 12 counties to gather information and make recommendations.

The Assessment supports that a local-food system would:

• strengthen the local economy;
• ensure that fresh, safe, healthful, locally produced food is easily accessible to people of all income levels;
• reduce the miles needed to distribute and sell food; and
• preserve farmland by making agriculture more viable to area farmers

The Plan offers a snapshot of the region's current local-food production, processing, distribution and availability. It also identifies 31 barriers to expanding a regional food system

WHO:

Derrick Clay, Chair, MORPC
Robert Boggs, Director, Ohio Department of Agriculture
Jerry Tinianow, Director, Center for Energy and Environment, MORPC
Eric Phillips, President, Mid-Ohio Development Exchange and
Executive Director, Union County Economic Development Partnership

WHAT:

Reveal of the first Local Food Assessment and Plan

WHEN:

Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 1:30 p.m.

WHERE:

The Scots Miracle-Gro Company Community Garden Campus at Franklin Park Conservatory

www.morpc.org