FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 11, 2026
Contact: Anthony M Tamez, [email protected]
A Celebration of Two Decades of Food Justice Work and a Vision for the Future
CHICAGO, IL – As Illinois families brace for sweeping new federal SNAP work requirements that took effect Feb. 1, the 21st Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit will convene the city’s leading advocates, policymakers, and public health leaders for collaboration to protect food access in a rapidly shifting federal landscape.
Hosted by the Chicago Food Policy Action Council, the summit opens today March 11 and 12 with virtual sessions. On March 13, the gathering culminates in person at the historic South Shore Cultural Center, where more than 30 workshops and strategy sessions will convene on coordinated response and long-term transformation.
The summit arrives on the heels of one of the most destabilizing food policies in recent local, state, and national history. With nearly 2 million Illinois residents impacted by recent SNAP instability and new eligibility rules now in force, the 21st Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit offers a timely, urgent look at how one of the nation’s largest cities is mobilizing to protect food access in a rapidly shifting federal landscape.
This year’s theme, “The Table is Ours: Reclaiming Food, Land and Power,” is both a declaration and a demand.
Jose Oliva, board member of the Chicago Food Policy Action Council, stated: “We’re done asking for a seat. Chicago’s Black, Brown, immigrant, and working-class communities have always built the table. We’ve grown the food, staff ed the kitchens, organized the neighbors, and carried the movement forward. Now, in a moment when federal instability threatens basic food access, this year’s summit centers a bold truth: We are not just defending scraps. We are reclaiming systems.”
For 21 years, the Chicago Food Justice Summit has been a cornerstone of the movement for an equitable and sustainable food system. Rodger Cooley, executive director of the Chicago Food Policy Action Council, stated: “The Chicago Food Justice Summit is a gathering table for the diverse movement building an equitable and sustainable food system. The summit is an opportunity each year to grow collective investments in food justice. Our communities and partners spent the past year responding to many challenges and threats to our food systems. We are excited to gather during the Summit to celebrate our resilience and deepen trust across our many partners.”
“We’re excited to partner with the Chicago Food Policy Action Council on the Chicago Food Justice Summit,” said Dr. Kiran Joshi, chief operating officer of Cook County Department of Public Health. “The summit provides a great opportunity for food justice advocates to join forces and reimagine ways to create more equitable access to affordable, healthy foods.”
Learn more about the summit here: https://www.chicagofoodpolicy.com/21fjs .
The Chicago Food Policy Action Council and the 21st Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit is supported in part by federal American Rescue Plan Act funds allocated to Cook County Department of Public Health by Cook County Government.
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