Title:
Committee(s) Assignment:
Call for hearing(s) on decline of City of Chicago food
policies for underserved residents
Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology
Development
Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development
Chicago City Council Meeting June 22,2022
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The announcement of the closing of the Whole Foods Market in Englewood was not only a shock and a disappointment to the neighborhood, it also brought into question the City of Chicago's efforts to bring nutritious and affordable food options to underserved neighborhoods, referred to as "food deserts;" and,
WHEREAS, This Whole Foods Market was opened in 2016 to great fanfare with help from a $1 land sale and an $11 million Tax Increment Financing subsidy that required a grocery store occupy the site until at least 2027; and,
WHEREAS, The City has yet to announce any definitive action or plans to replace the Whole Foods grocery store; and,
WHEREAS, A similar closing of an Aldi Store in West Garfield Park triggered a quick response earlier this year to aggressively acquire the site and actively promote it for redevelopment as an affordable grocery for the neighborhood; and,
WHEREAS, A second unexpected closing of an Aldi store occurred in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood this week leaving customers "flabbergasted" while Aldi cited "repeated burglaries and declining sales" as the reason for the closure; and,
WHEREAS, The inconsistent responses to the closing of these grocery stores calls into question the City's approach to addressing the lack of affordable nutrition options in Chicago neighborhoods; and,
WHEREAS, Solving the issue of food insecurity in Chicago will require the development of diverse, resilient and adaptive community driven strategies that recognize how residents' shop for and purchase food; and,
WHEREAS, Food security policy researchers are moving away from simplistic geographical "food desert" strategies in favor of "food access," an approach that provides a complete picture ofthe foods that consumers buy or acquire and the factors that influence their food choices; and,
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago Department of Public Health and Department of Planning & Development need to take advantage of the data being developed by these studies by leading universities, such as the University of Chicago, to craft a successful food access strategy that empowers neighborhoods to develop affordable and appropriate food options that fit the needs of its residents; and,
WHEREAS, The City of Chicago must reimagine the entire food access system and creates models, policies and programs that are sustainable opportunities in all communities; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO, That we, the members of the City Council of the City of Chicago, call upon the Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development to convene a hearing to examine the failure of City of Chicago food access policies to meet the needs of its underserved residents; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO, That representatives from the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Department of Planning and Development be invited to appear before the Committee to provide testimony on their respective efforts to address the closing of grocery stores and to address their respective policy goals to end food insecurity in Chicago; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO, That representatives from Chicago higher education institutions which have studied food insecurity, such as the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, be invited to share their research on a new approach to food system policies; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO, That representatives of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) be invited to provide testimony on the most recent National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) that was designed to fill a critical data gap and support research to inform policymaking on priorities - such as health and obesity, food insecurity, and food and nutrition assistance policy; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO, That USDA be invited to testify on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Online Purchasing Project in Illinois which is designed to give low income people access to affordable online grocery shopping and delivery services; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO, That the Illinois Food Council of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, which represents the grocery industry in Illinois, be invited to testify on the challenges facing retailers who seek to provide affordable grocery options in underserved neighborhoods.
Alderman Derrick Curtis, 18th Ward
riierla Spitayisn
Alderman Dariierta SfJata/lst \prd
Alderman Mattt^SAea, 19th Ward
Aldertrf/n Jeanette B. Taylor, 20th Wa
Alderman Walter Burnett, Jr., 27th Ward
Alderman Leslie Mairsto/f, 5th Ward
Alderman Roderick Sawyer, 6th Ward
Aldermai/Qrian Hopl'ir,c ">nd I
Alderman Gregory I. Mitchell, 7th Ward
th
Alderman Susai/Sadlowski Garza, 10th
Alderman Michelle Harris, 8th Ward
rman Howard B. Brookins. Jr. .(21st JWard Alderman Michae(p^Rodriguez, 22nd Ward Alderman Silvana Tabares, 23rd Ward
Alderman Monique L. Scott, 24th Ward A^lerr>»an Byron Sigcho - Lopez, 2^th Ward Alderman Roberto Maldonado, 26th Ward
Alderman Jason Ervin, 28th Ward
Al%jjfhan Patrick D. Thompson, 11th Ward
Alderman Christ&plier Taliaferro, 29Jh Ward
Alderman Ariel E. Reboyras, 30th Ward
AldermaK Felix Cardo^a<fr., 31st Ward
Alderman George A. Carder)as\12th Ward
Alderr
it
13
Alderma
Alderman Marty Qijiir^J.3th Ward nan EdwaraM. Burke, 14th Wai
ayrnftnd Lopez, 15th Ward
man Stephanie D. Coleman, 16th Ward
AldefmanTKossaTia'Rodriguez- Sanchez, 33rd Ward
AldermaruSeott Waguespack, 32nd Ward
Alderman David Moore, 17th Ward
Alderman Carrie M. Austin, 34th Ward
Alderman Gilbert^illegas, 36th Ward Araerman Emma Mitts, 37th Ward
Alderman Samantha Nugent, 39th Ward
Alderman Andre Vgsefuez, 40* Ward
ony V. Napolitano, 41st Ward
Alderman Brendan Reilly, 42*"^7»ard
Aldewnan Michele Smith, 43rd Ward
