Title
Accepting the recommendations of the Saint Paul-Ramsey County Food and Nutrition Commission to create a robust, healthy, local food system.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul is committed to policies that promote the health and well-being of our community and environment; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul has proven this commitment in the establishment of the Mayor's first Sustainability Director, GreenCorps Member, and the Saint Paul - Ramsey County Food and Nutrition Commission; and
WHEREAS, Saint Paul had a Food and Nutrition Commission in the 1980s and 1990s; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul is an economic hub for regional and urban agriculture and distribution; and
WHEREAS, The Food Trust Food "For Every Child" Food Access Maps show significant gaps in healthy, affordable and safe food access based on geographic location and financial status; and
WHEREAS, lack of access to healthy food contributes to disparities in diet-related chronic disease and obesity rates; and
WHEREAS, twenty-five percent (25%) of Minnesotans are obese with disproportionate rates in communities of color; and
WHEREAS, the Food and Nutrition Commission has the vision to offer a wide variety of affordable, healthy food available everywhere that contributes to the physical, cultural, and economic wellbeing of residents and their families; and
WHEREAS, the Food and Nutrition Commission developed a set of recommendations to address these issues; and
WHEREAS, the Food and Nutrition Commission recommends conducting ongoing assessments of the food access needs and food environment of the City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County by expanding the Saint Paul Neighborhood Study and conducting feasibility testing of new incentives programs; and
WHEREAS, the Food and Nutrition Commission recommends enhancing food equity through equitable spatial distribution of community gardens and food markets, increasing access through public food assistance and community programs, ...
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