Moving the Minnesota Food Charter Forward in Northwest Minnesota

Rural and tribal communities across northwest Minnesota were actively engaged in a broad-based community engagement process involving thousands of stakeholders to create the Minnesota Food Charter, a shared roadmap that can guide healthy food policy and planning at local, regional, and state levels toward greater access to healthy, affordable, and safe food.  Successful implementation of the policy and systems change strategies described in the Food Charter are intended to reduce the risk and cost of diet-related diseases, while conserving state resources and boosting economic prosperity. Since its October 2014 launch, key community and organizational leaders in the region have leveraged Food Charter strategies to create policy, systems, and environmental changes that support healthy and local food systems in their communities. Three regional examples will demonstrate how communities use Minnesota Food Charter strategies as actionable tools for change.  These examples include: 1) the Fresh Connect Food Hub and the regional aggregation of local food for institutional markets including schools, 2) the Cass Clay Food Systems Advisory Commission and the role of local policymakers and food policy councils in implementing Food Charter strategies related to policy and comprehensive planning, and 3) the work of Leech Lake Tribal College, tribal healthy food advocates, and partners from local public health to mobilize their tribal council and reservation communities to implement tribal-specific Food Charter strategies.