Food Systems

This report, by the Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies and funded through the Cook County Department of Public Health for the Suburban Cook County Food System Steering Committee, is a snapshot of the current food system in suburban Cook County, IL, and lays the groundwork for broader regional planning around local food. Its conclusions call for county-wide collaboration around creation of a food system that is health-promoting, sustainable, resilient, diverse, fair, economically balanced, and transparent. It offers recommendations in three main areas: resource assessment (using more land to increase food production), food as an economic driver (supporting the development of food-related businesses), and coordination and education (facilitating regional collaboration).