The Michigan Food Policy Council, created by Governor Granholm in June of 2005 to bring diverse food-related stakeholders together to develop integrated policy recommendations through the monetary support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, has released its report of recommendations to the Governor.

Read the full Michigan Food Policy Council Report here. A brief summary of recommendations found in the report follows.

Summary of Recommendations, October 2006

The 21-member Michigan Food Policy Council released a Report of Recommendations for the Governor's consideration on October 12, 2006.

The report's 20 recommendations cover all aspects of the state's food system from field to fork, including growing the agri-food economy, accessing fresh and healthy foods, promoting Michigan foods and cultivating agricultural viability. The recommendation topics are as follows:

• Agri-food entrepreneurship (Recommendation A1, p. 16).
• Support for food processing (Recommendation A2, p. 16).
• Agricultural Processing Renaissance Zones (Recommendation A3, p.17).
• Information and collaboration opportunities (Recommendation A4, p.18).
• Supermarkets in underserved locations (Recommendation A5, p. 18).
• Healthy food access through direct markets (Recommendation B1, p. 20).
• School, community and urban gardens (Recommendation B2, p.20).
• Food Assistance Program/Food Stamp Program (Recommendation B3, p.21).
• Summer Food Service Program (Recommendation B4, p. 21).
• Nutrition education (Recommendation B5, p. 22).
• Emergency food needs (Recommendation B6, p. 22).
• Select Michigan program (Recommendation C1, p. 23).
• Farm-to-school (Recommendation C2, p. 24).
• Department of Corrections Michigan food purchases (Recommendation C3, p. 24).
• Support for farmers' markets (Recommendation C4, p. 25).
• Farmland preservation (Recommendation D1, p. 26).
• New market development (Recommendation D2, p. 27).
• Increasing Michigan agriculture visibility (Recommendation D3, p. 27).
• Expanding and stabilizing the farm workforce (Recommendation D4, p. 28).
• Role of Michigan State University Extension (Recommendation D5, p. 28).