Illinois § 10

§ 10.

Findings. (a) The General Assembly finds that the following conditions exist in this State: (1) Small fruit, vegetable, and livestock farmers are vital to the health and wealth of Illinois communities, yet Illinois does not currently have infrastructure in place to support local food farmers or to feed Illinois communities. (2) An estimated 95% of the food consumed in Illinois is purchased from outside of our borders, resulting in the export of billions of food dollars outside our State rather than the enhancement of our local food economies. (3) A shift of just 10% toward local food purchasing by Illinois individuals, families, schools, institutions, and State agencies could generate billions in economic growth for our State. (4) For Illinois families, businesses, schools, and institutions to shift their purchasing practices, Illinois must invest in supporting critical local food infrastructure needed to bolster processing, aggregation, and distribution of local food. (b) The General Assembly determines and declares that there exist conditions in the State that require the Department to issue grants on behalf of the State for the development of local food processing, aggregation, and distribution. (Source: P.A. 103-772, eff. 8-2-24.)