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The Cabarrus Commissioners have appointed a 21- member Food Policy Council to identify and strengthen connections between food, health, natural resources protection, economic development and the agricultural community. This food system assessment will serve as a planning tool for the Council, one that will empower them to develop strategies and make policy recommendations that stimulate a robust sustainable food economy. Numerous North Carolinians are working toward similar goals. More than 1,000 have participated in the CEFS Farm to Fork initiative, "Building a Sustainable Local Food Economy in North Carolina," which is designed to promote collaboration, identify best practices and develop actions at the state and local level that will foster a statewide sustainable food system. In its state action guide, included in the statewide and local recommendations for action, CEFS identifies baseline food system assessments as a tool for engaging decision makers in strategic food systems planning. The Cabarrus County food system assessment can serve as a model for other communities interested in joining the statewide effort to build local sustainable food systems. II. Food System Components A food system encompasses the cycle of producing, distributing, eating and recycling food, and it is made up of all the processes used to feed people: growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, distributing, marketing, consuming, disposing and recycling. The core components of the system are described below. In this assessment the focus will be on system activities at the county and, where appropriate, regional level. The scope of the study will cover the core components of the food system in relation to the assessment goals outlined above. Production The cultivation of edible plants and domestication of animals, including in rural and urban settings, such as community or school gardens, rooftop gardens, urban greenhouses, edible landscaping, backyard gardening. • Processing All the processes that add value to and/or transform raw commodities into food products, including baking, cooking, freezing, canning, and packaging. Examples of business enterprises include bakeries, commercial kitchens, and meat packers. • Distribution & Marketing All activities related to getting raw and processed foods to consumers, including transporting, storing, and retailing. This includes four major market channels: 1. Direct (farmers' markets and CSAs) 2. Retail (grocery stores) 3. Food service (restaurants and institutions), and 4. Emergency (food banks) 3 Attachment number 2 G -4 Page 512