Council Launches Food & Agro-Security Information Clearinghouse and Discusses Proactive Steps Being Taken to Protect Illinois’ Food Supply
 
DECATUR – Following through on his continuing efforts to partner with business and educational leaders to accelerate growth in Illinois’ homeland security industry, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich’s administration convened the third meeting of the Illinois Food Systems Policy Council (IFSPC) at Richland Community College (RCC) in Decatur today.  Gov. Blagojevich established the Council at RCC and invested nearly $107,000 to help develop and implement strategies to improve food and agricultural security and safety in Illinois, support the growth of Illinois food producers and protect the health and well being of our citizens.  Richland administers the IFSPC with the support of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) Homeland Security Market Development Bureau (HSMD).    

“The Food Systems Policy Council provides critical leadership and is a valuable tool in determining steps we can take to secure both the crops our farmers grow and the food that Illinois companies manufacture," Gov. Blagojevich said.  “As a leading producer and exporter of food manufacturing and agricultural products across the world, we need to do everything within our power to assure the safety and security of the food we supply, both for our families and for families across the world.  We are proud to help to address problems and find solutions that will make for more profitable, sustainable and resilient food and agricultural production in Illinois.”

RCC President Gayle Saunders opened the meeting by introducing new council members and discussing the recent launch of the Food & Agro-Security Information Clearinghouse, a groundbreaking, interactive Web site (http://ifspc.richland.edu/ ) for business, industry, government and academia to quickly find and share information about food and agro security, including the latest information about the products that are manufactured and produced in Illinois.  To access the Clearinghouse, please contact FSPC Director Bryon Kirwan at 217/875.7211 x 207 or bkirwan@richland.edu to become a registered user.

“Gov. Blagojevich and I are committed to making Illinois’ food supply safe and secure from the farm to the fork,” said RCC President Gayle Saunders. “FSPC’s Clearinghouse will serve as a pivotal point of exchange for important information affecting the food supply, and will help advance Illinois’ leadership in the food and agriculture industry.”

President Saunders also led the review of the successful activities of the Council to date, including:
Participation in the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Strategic Partnership Program Agro-terrorism (SPPA) Initiative, a national volunteer program for industry and federal and state agriculture, health, and law enforcement participants that aims to validate and identify vulnerabilities in food and agriculture industries and to recommend appropriate protective measures and highlight research and development gaps. 

Food and Agri-Security and Safety Summit Series- Food Defense Tabletop Exercise: FSPC conducted its first series event on September 22nd at RCC, which focused on the roles of county, state and federal government agencies and the food industry to detect, respond to and recover from an intentional incident involving the food supply.  Marcus Brown, contact for the Food and Agro-Security and Safety Summit Series Committee, reported on the success of the exercise.

Special topics include the local impact of recent national food security alerts.  Marlena Bordson, Chief, Division of Food, Drugs and Dairy for the Illinois Department of Public Health, also presented an overview on the Department's perspective of the spinach E. coli outbreak in Illinois.

Council members include representatives from leading private sector firms ADM, Kraft, John Deere, Growmark and Hill & Knowlton.  Participating state agencies include DCEO, the Departments of Public Health, Human Services, Agriculture, Central Management Services, the State Board of Education and the Food Nutrition and Education Program at the University of Illinois.  Top industry associations represented on the Council include the Illinois Beef Association, the Illinois Farm Bureau and the Institute for Community Resource Development. The Springfield Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the University of Illinois’s food security initiative are also members.  Several task forces have been formed to ensure that FSPC initiatives are put into practice in both the public and private sectors, as well as oversee and implement the Council’s main functions.  In addition to the Clearinghouse and Summit Series, FSPC’s task forces include Coordinating Public-Private Training efforts related to food security and safety, Discussing Access to Fresh, Healthy, Sustainable Food Sources and a special advisory committee on potential economic programs that food producers can adopt to expand their markets.

“Gov. Blagojevich and I believe that nothing is more important to the lives of people across Illinois and the vitality of our economy than the safety of our food and water supplies.  Economic development is most effective when it utilizes collaboration and innovation, and that’s exactly the strategy behind the Food Systems Policy Council,” said DCEO Director Jack Lavin.  “Bringing together this group of food security experts allows us to keep our ears to the ground and ensure that we are implementing the most efficient and effective policies to provide for the security of our food supply and the safety of our citizens.”
 
Food production is one of the state’s top manufacturing activities, adding $14.4 billion to the economy each year.  Illinois is a leading exporter of food manufacturing and agricultural products, which totaled more than $2 billion in 2005.  Additionally, Illinois ranks third nationally in the export of agricultural commodities

Richland Community College is a major provider of agricultural and food systems workforce training.  Located in Decatur and home to several leading agri-products firms, Richland’s ongoing working relationship with major food production and processing companies in Illinois makes it well positioned to take a leadership role in the development of a food and agro-security program.

DCEO’s Homeland Security Market Development Bureau (HSMD) is focused on supporting businesses engaged in the homeland security industry.  HSMD offers a variety of investment tools designed to help existing Illinois companies expand operations and utilize available state and federal programs and services.  HSMD also sponsors homeland security forums across Illinois in key industry sectors, including food security, information technology and electronics, manufacturing and transportation security.  IFSPC builds on that effort by bringing food producers, distributors and companies engaged in protecting our food supply together to discuss additional protections for our nation’s food supply and to learn new ways to compete in today’s security-conscious world.

For more information on HSMD, visit www.hsmd.illinois.gov.