Statewide Emergency Food Distribution: The New Frontier

1. Statewide Emergency Food Distribution: The New Frontier Kristin Gunther Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection

2. Food for Thought: System Vulnerabilities • Food production and distribution operate on a just-in-time delivery system • Warehouses do not store food supplies for any length of time • The food system is increasingly compressed: fewer facilities processing/distributing food; remote disruptions can be felt immediately close to home

3. Emergency Food Understanding the food system enhances preparedness and response planning Food Facts: • Most American cities have less than a 1-week supply of food in their warehouses • Most retail stores have less than 3-4 days supply of food on their shelves • Most households have less than 3-days supply of food

4. Learning Wisconsin’s Food System:Beginning the Process • First Steps: • Identifying Wisconsin’s most economically significant food sectors • Identifying key players in each sector (producers, processors, distributors Full report: “Characterizing WI's Food Systems from Production to Consumption: A Reference Document” www.datcp.state.wi.us (publications: food safety)

7. Assuring Access to Food • What are the most likely disruptions to the movement and availability of food in the State/Region? • Who is responsible for assuring safe and reliable food availability in WI? • What resources/capabilities exist for maintaining continuity of operations in food distribution in WI?

8. Lessons from Neighbors • “Kentucky Ice Storm” • DATCP conducted extensive interviews with retail, emergency response and VOAD groups in Kentucky • Findings were documented, providing context for Wisconsin’s preparedness efforts

9. Food System Disruptions • Large-Scale Disruptions Include: • Natural Disasters • flooding • ice storms • tornadoes • animal disease • Man-Made Disasters • intentional/unintentional contamination of food supplies

10. Responding to Food Emergencies • The Issue: • DATCP: lead agency for food emergency response, coordinates multi-agency efforts at state and local levels, BUT • Private Sector: • owns and controls the distribution of food • Has a complex and dynamic supply chain • many players involved from farm-to-fork • The Challenge: bringing public and private sectors together for effective response to food emergencies

11. Food Distribution Focus Group • Purpose: Begin the planning process for assuring availability of food and water in large-scale disruptions • Objectives: • Document existing capabilities and gaps within the food distribution system • Identify tools for closing gaps/enhancing emergency response • connect industry, VOAD and government stakeholders as response partners in food emergencies

12. Food Distribution Focus Group Participants: • Industry: Wal-Mart, Wisconsin Grocers Association, Reinhart FoodService, Sysco, Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Assn., Kwik Trip, American Transmission Corp., Midwest Food Processors Assoc. VOAD: American Red Cross Badger Chapter; America’s Second Harvest Food Bank; Salvation Army; Southern Baptists Convention Government: DATCP, DOT, WI National Guard, State Patrol, DHS, WEM regional and county directors

13. Lessons Learned To assure steady food supply, you must have: • Power (backup generators) • Fuel • Transportation

14. Lessons Learned cont’d Capabilities: • Strong partnerships exist among VOAD Groups and Industry • Industry (large distributors and retailers) are fairly self-sufficient re: power, fuel and transportation • Wal-Mart has an extensive distribution network, regional emergency supply warehouses and its own EOC • Many County Emergency Managers have existing agreements with VOADS • WI DOT Motor Carriers Division has access to MCMIS database identifying refrigerator truck inventory

15. Lesson’s Learned cont’d Vulnerabilities – limitations or gaps in the system • Fuel cannot be pumped without power • Fuel, transportation and backup power are interdependent • Most retail stores and service stations are not generator-ready (cannot maintain food supplies/provide fuel for local communities) • Generator availability is limited/prioritization needed • Need to differentiate between protecting critical resource and supporting private industry • Retailers and local emergency managers need to establish contacts

16. Focus Group Outcome: Toolkit for Stakeholders • Food Emergency Checklist and Contact Sheet for Emergency Response • Stakeholder Capabilities and Responsibilities Table -- documenting who does what • Food Distribution Diagram • Establishing a network for food distribution stakeholders to share information (forthcoming) • Toolkit online: http://www.datcp.state.wi.us/ • Continued discussion/exercises requested

17. Food Distribution Stakeholder Relationships

21. Agricultural Emergencies: Food and Beyond • Current DATCP efforts include: • Developing COOP plans with ag industry to minimize impacts from disasters (natural or intentional) • Wisconsin Agro-Security Resources Network (WARN) http://www.wisconsinagroresource.net/ • Partnering at a regional level (Multi-State Partnership) to address broad scope of food and ag emergency response planning http://www.agpartnership.org/

22. Food and Agriculture: Interconnected Systems • Know your food and agriculture community • who/where are the critical points of contact? • Planning and training efforts need to include your local food and ag industries • identify existing capabilities and gaps

23. The $26.5 Billion Dollar Dairy Business:What’s Moving Through Your County? 13 % of nation's milk and 26 % of nation's cheese • 25.5 billion lbs of milk from 1.2 million dairy cows on 12,929 dairy farms • 2.5 billion lbs of cheese from 200 dairy plants

24. Any Questions?