Does Illinois have an interest in a sustainable food system? It may not seem like it, when 97 percent of the $47 billion Illinoisians spend on food each year leaves the state to buy food from other states or overseas.  But the answer is, "yes," as a group of Champaign County residents learned recently at an Illinois Food System listening session. Within the next 20 years, state leaders hope to see at least $30 billion of that annual food bill spent for food grown here in Illinois. 

In early 2008, Governor Blagojevich appointed the Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force after the Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act of 2007 was passed by the state legislature.  The Task Force is conducting listening sessions throughout Illinois. The product of the sessions will be a set of policy and funding recommendations to promote organic and local food systems throughout the state. 

Defining and making recommendations about a food system in an entire state is a monumental undertaking – and the information collection stage that is taking place initially in communities throughout Illinois is critical to the formation of the recommendations.  The governor has appointed a diverse 32-member task force comprising members of the government, organic and specialty crop producers and certifiers, educational organizations, food processors and retailers, farm organizations and specialists, municipal representatives, consumers and community-based organization members – and a chef.   The task force does not manage a budget, but instead will suggest to the governor how he can best make funds available to interested parties to promote a sustainable state food system.