Local Host: The Food Trust
Conference Sponsors:
Sodexo | Kaiser Permanente | Clif Bar | Natures Path | Rutgers University | Organic Valley
Thanks for coming!
We hope to see you again at an upcoming conference:
- Farm to Cafeteria: Going the Distance and Shortening It in Portland Oregon, March 19-21, 2009.
- Annual Conference in Des Moines Iowa, October 10-13, 2009.
View the final conference program (note that it does not contain information about Saturday events; you can find that information here). Download Conference Program [PDF-1.6M]
About the Conference
The Community Food Security Coalition’s annual conference is back bigger and better than ever! Attendees joined 700 of their colleagues for the nation’s primary food systems networking and educational event outside Philadelphia for five days of inspiring presentations, scintillating workshops, fantastic networking, delectable local eats, and fun field trips. This event focused on access to healthy food: how many communities have been transformed into food deserts; the health and economic impacts that these communities face; and the policy and grassroots-based solutions to this ever growing problem.
The meeting also included plenaries on climate change and the global food crisis, as well as over 50 workshops, 12 field trips, and 5 short courses on other issues such as farm to cafeteria, local food systems, business incubators, race and the food system. As much as possible of the food served was organically or sustainably produced, and/or sourced locally.
The conference is being held in conjunction with Rutgers University’s Food Business Incubator Meeting. Our hope in doing so is to foster networking and educational opportunities among community food security and micro-enterprise practitioners. FoodBIN Workshops
Why Cherry Hill?
Given the leadership of The Food Trust in improving the food retail situation, there is probably no better place in the US than Philadelphia to showcase food access issues. We decided to hold the conference in Philadelphia not only because of these exciting efforts but also because the Philadelphia region has a long and unique food and farming history. Its numerous community gardens, 300 year history of farmers’ markets, Amish farms, nearby Rodale Institute, and cranberry bogs in the New Jersey Pine Barrens all make this part of the country a fascinating region. Likewise, by holding the event in Philadelphia, we hoped to provide inexpensive access by train or car to our colleagues working on food security issues in the Northeast Corridor
In researching venues for the conference, unfortunately we were unable to find a large enough site that would be affordable for our attendees in the city of Philadelphia. So we decided to hold the conference in a suburban location for the first time, where the room rates are much lower. The Crowne Plaza is only a 15 minute drive from downtown Philadelphia and accessible by public transit from downtown and the airport. We also made transportation available on Monday evening to a local train station so that attendees could easily go Downtown.
About the Community Food Security Coalition
The Community Food Security Coalition is a non-profit, North American organization dedicated to building strong, sustainable, local and regional food systems that ensure access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food for all people at all times. We seek to develop self-reliance among all communities in obtaining their food and to create a system of growing, manufacturing, processing, making available, and selling food that is regionally based and grounded in the principles of justice, democracy, and sustainability.
