Cabarrus County Manager Serving on Statewide Sustainable Food Council

January 22, 2010 – Cabarrus County Manager John Day will meet with fellow local food advocates February 2 in Raleigh at the first meeting of the North Carolina Sustainable Local Food Advisory Council. Twenty–seven individuals serve on the Council – ranging from state government officials to food producers and distributors to public health experts, agricultural advocacy organizations and other local food supporters. Day was appointed to the Council by Senator Marc Basnight as a representative of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.

The Council was created by the North Carolina General Assembly to contribute to building a local food economy and creating jobs, stimulating statewide economic development, circulating money from local food sales within local communities, preserving open space, decreasing the use of fossil fuel and reducing carbon emissions, preserving and protecting the natural environment, increasing consumer access to fresh and nutritious foods, and providing greater food security for all North Carolinians.

“It’s an honor to serve on the Sustainable Local Food Advisory Council. I’m passionate about building sustainable communities and I believe a strong local food economy should be the heart of any sustainability effort,” Day said.

Day has been a leader in spurring on the local food movement in North Carolina. Locally, Day worked to secure funding to open an incubator farm to provide land as well as agriculture and business planning education to individuals interested in becoming farmers. Day also is leading the effort to offer easier consumer access to locally grown meats and other food products.

To learn about the local food movement and the North Carolina Sustainable Food Advisory Council, log on to www.ncagr.gov/localfood.