Following Madison’s efforts to improve access to healthy and sustainable food options, the city joined an international coalition committed to lowering food costs and increasing accessibility.
Madison united with over 160 cities to sign the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact at the 86th winter meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors this past Friday. The Milan Urban Food Policy is an international system addressing food-related problems in cities.
“Madison has an active food policy council, a designated position tasked with advancing community food system policies housed within the Mayor’s Office, and many city-supported initiatives and partnerships thriving within the City,” Madison Food Policy Coordinator George Reistad said in a press release.
The pact will accelerate the actions of Madison’s many projects, programs and committees already aimed at increasing accessibility to healthy, sustainable foods — including the Madison Food Policy Council, SEED Grants, the Madison Public Market, and the Healthy Retail Access Program.
Mayor Paul Soglin met with Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington D.C. to sign the pact Friday.
Soglin stated his "deep commitment to building a better food system…with the ultimate goal of creating a local and regional food system that is just, healthy, economically-viable for all of its participants, and environmentally responsible to the planet," in the release.
The pact creates a guide for cities to enforce policy and introduce ways to solve to food system problems and was first signed in Milan, Italy by over 100 cities in October 2015.
