Charting Growth: Sustainable Food Indicators

The Charting Growth Project began at the Wallace Center in late 2006, with funding from the Food & Society Initiative of the WK Kellogg Foundation (WKKF).  The FAS Initiative needed definitions of the attributes of “good food” (healthy, fair, green and affordable) and indicators to estimate, at any given time, the amount of good food available in the US.  The FAS Initiative made the decision in 2005 to focus on promoting good food in the US to at least 10% of food supply, with the assumption that growth in “good food” supply would accelerate growth in demand from individuals and institutions, supporting innovations, and changes in public policy that would further promote supply. The objectives of the Charting Growth Project are to:

• Define healthy, green, fair and affordable as food attributes for WKKF.
• Develop a broadly credible set of national indicators of good food for WKKF and simple, readily comprehensible tools for displaying them.
• Use the indicators to assess the current availability of good food in the United States.

Although many people have worked on indicators of sustainability and sustainable development, applications to food systems are relatively new.  A small team  reviewed the related literature and interviewed numerous experts on food systems and WKKF’s selected food attributes to develop definitions, indicators, and measures.  Many of the people we interviewed and other stakeholders gave useful feedback on an earlier draft of the definitions, indicators and measures.  We have incorporated many of their suggestions in this draft.

Download Good Food Attribute graphs - Detailed (PDF)

Charting Growth: Sustainable Food Indicators - Detailed Graphs

download good food attribute graphs - brief (Pdf)

Charting Growth: Sustainable Food Indicators - Brief Graphs

For more information about the Charting Growth Report, contact:
Molly D. Anderson, Wallace Senior Fellow
Food Systems Integrity
781-648-6839 
molly@foodsystems-integrity.com