It's simple to join the Michigan Good Food Charter Council and sign the resolution of support as an individual or organization. There are three levels of Charter Council membership so everyone can find a level of support that suits their goals and needs. If you support the vision and initiatives of the Charter and would like to stay informed you can join as a Supporter. To implement the charter vision within your community, signing up as a Local Leader may be the right choice. Consider signing up as a Committee Member of one of the three Michigan Good Food Charter Committees If you are looking for ways to get more involved at the statewide level. Charter Committees support the implementation of Charter activities through coalition-building and coordinated policy action efforts.
To address the complex challenges of the food system, we have identified six interconnected goals describing the results we want to see in our communities.
Food Access to Food Sovereignty: Everyone has the resources to access and afford healthy, culturally relevant food where they live, work, learn, and play and the ability to shape the food systems that impact them.
Farm and Food Business Viability: The food system supports a dynamic mix of local, regional, national, and global food sources that offer opportunities for small-scale and marginalized Michigan farm and food businesses to thrive.
Health Equity: The food system supports opportunities for everyone to be as healthy as possible, physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually.
Fair Wages and Economic Opportunity: People who plant, harvest, process, pack, transport, prepare, serve, and sell food have access to living wages, benefits, safe work environments, and pathways for career advancement and leadership.
Sustainable Ecosystems: The food system protects air, water, and soil now and for future generations.
Climate Change Mitigation and Resilience: Communities are resilient in the face of climate change and the food system actively mitigates its impact on the climate.
How can we use the Charter?
The Michigan Good Food Charter is a tool for collaborative communication, advocacy, and evaluation. We can use it to:
Explore ideas that advance a good food system in Michigan
Identify common ground for collaboration within and across sectors
Build action coalitions around food systems policy change
Inform policymakers of statewide and local priorities
Published on June 10, 2015
The Michigan Local Food Council Network brings together food councils in order to build their individual and collective capacities to work on food and food policy issues, operate effectively, and engage their communities.
Published on June 8, 2015
Have you or your organization signed the Resolution of Support for the Michigan Good Food Charter? Currently, over 380 organizations throughout the state and more than 480 individuals have signed the Resolution.
Published on May 27, 2015
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now accepting applications to provide technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups in rural areas.
The Michigan Good Food Charter is a vision and a roadmap to advance Michigan’s food and agricultural contributions to the economy, protect our natural resource base, improve our residents’ health, and enable generations of Michigan youth to thrive.