The Chicago Farmers Market Program Presents First Ever Daley Plaza Outdoor Red Meat Market, October 18

In its second year, Food Day is an annual, nationwide celebration and a movement toward more healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. The events to cultivate this awareness will begin in early October, leading up to the official, designated day, October 24, 2012.  Building a Healthier Chicago has taken the lead on the coordination of Food Day in Chicago this year.

“We are so pleased to be partnering with Building a Healthier Chicago and the Red Meat Market for our final Daley Plaza Farmers Market of the year, said Deputy Commissioner Angel Ysaguirre who oversees the Farmers Market program in the culinary arts division of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.  “In addition to meeting our goal of bringing fresh product to more Chicagoans, through this partnership we can also build on efforts to provide information on cooking and eating healthier.”

“You don’t have to be a meat lover to support buying locally raised meats” said Mark Wilhelms, Founder of Red Meat Market. “It’s better for the welfare of our animals, it’s better for the environment and better for the future health of the population.”

The City of Chicago Farmers Market at Daley Plaza, presented by COUNTRY Financial concludes on this day, but other Farmers Markets will remain open through October 31.  For a complete schedule, visit chicagofarmersmarkets.us.  The city’s Halloween event, Franken Plaza will feature a Harvest Market with some vendors, October 27-30.

BACKGROUND:

Food Day

Food Day is an opportunity to celebrate what our food system does right, and take action to bring us closer to a food system with “real food” that is produced with care for the environment, animals, and the women and men who grow, harvest, and serve it. Food Day’s priorities are to:

• Promote safer, healthier diets
• Supporting sustainable and organic farms

• Reduce hunger
• Reform factory farms to protect the environment
• Support fair working conditions for food and farm workers
• Learn more at www.foodday.org

Building a Healthier Chicago

Building a Healthier Chicago’s (BHC) goal is to improve the health of Chicagoland residents and employees through the integration of existing and new public health, medicine and community health promotion activities, and serve as an integrated, effective and sustained community-wide partnership for health promotion that can be replicated nationwide.  To accomplish these goals, BHC focuses on three key areas: increasing physical activity levels, improving healthy eating and prevention.

Building a Healthier Chicago is a collaborative initiative among the Chicago Department of Public Health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of the Regional Health Administrator-Region V, the Chicago Medical Society, and the Institute of Medicine of Chicago.  Learn more at www.healthierchicago.org

City of Chicago Farmers Markets Program

For more than three decades, the City of Chicago Farmers Markets program has served to promote community while supporting local businesses and teaching people how to eat healthy.  Approximately 100,000 people shop each week at the markets from May through October which this year included 21 markets including five new markets on the west side in underserved areas, bringing healthy choices and a healthy lifestyle to more communities.

Red Meat Market

Red Meat Market (RMM) is a community of successful, thoughtful meat-loving people who understand the role local family farms and ranches play in creating a sustainable, healthy food system.  Through an online and offline social marketplace, meat buyers can easily source and order local, sustainable, naturally pastured meat in one place from multiple local providers. RMM features organic or grass-fed beef, pork and lamb products raised without the use of antibiotics or steroids – in northern Illinois and SW Wisconsin.  Launched in June, RMM was instantly embraced by mommy bloggers, foodies, etc. and continues to “organically” grow as it empowers the local farmer and educates our communities.  For additional information visit  www.redmeatmarket.com

Cindy Gatziolis    DCASE – 312.744.0573

Jeanette Kravits    Chicago Food Day-312.560.0053

 

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