Statewide Emergency Food Distribution: The New Frontier

Kristin GuntherWisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection

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

Emergency Food Understanding the food system enhances preparedness and response planningFood 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

Learning Wisconsins Food System:Beginning the Process

First Steps:

Identifying Wisconsins 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)

Assuring Access to FoodWhat 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?

Lessons from Neighbors

Kentucky Ice Storm DATCP conducted extensive interviews with retail, emergency response and VOAD groups in KentuckyFindings were documented, providing context for Wisconsins preparedness efforts

Food System DisruptionsLarge-Scale Disruptions Include:Natural Disastersflooding ice stormstornadoesanimal disease

Man-Made Disastersintentional/unintentional contamination of food supplies

Responding to Food EmergenciesThe Issue:DATCP: lead agency for food emergency response, coordinates multi-agency efforts at state and local levels, BUTPrivate Sector:owns and controls the distribution of food Has a complex and dynamic supply chainmany players involved from farm-to-fork

The Challenge: bringing public and private sectors together for effective response to food emergencies

Food Distribution Focus GroupPurpose: 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 systemIdentify tools for closing gaps/enhancing emergency response connect industry, VOAD and government stakeholders as response partners in food emergencies

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; Americas Second Harvest Food Bank; Salvation Army; Southern Baptists Convention

Government: DATCP, DOT, WI National Guard, State Patrol, DHS, WEM regional and county directors

Lessons LearnedTo assure steady food supply, you must have:Power (backup generators)Fuel Transportation

Lessons Learned contdCapabilities:Strong partnerships exist among VOAD Groups and IndustryIndustry (large distributors and retailers) are fairly self-sufficient re: power, fuel and transportationWal-Mart has an extensive distribution network, regional emergency supply warehouses and its own EOC Many County Emergency Managers have existing agreements with VOADSWI DOT Motor Carriers Division has access to MCMIS database identifying refrigerator truck inventory

Lessons Learned contdVulnerabilities limitations or gaps in the system

Fuel cannot be pumped without powerFuel, transportation and backup power are interdependentMost retail stores and service stations are not generator-ready (cannot maintain food supplies/provide fuel for local communities)Generator availability is limited/prioritization neededNeed to differentiate between protecting critical resource and supporting private industryRetailers and local emergency managers need to establish contacts

Focus Group Outcome:

Toolkit for StakeholdersFood Emergency Checklist and Contact Sheet for Emergency ResponseStakeholder Capabilities and Responsibilities Table -- documenting who does whatFood Distribution DiagramEstablishing a network for food distribution stakeholders to share information (forthcoming)Toolkit online: http://www.datcp.state.wi.us/

Continued discussion/exercises requested

Food Distribution Stakeholder Relationships

Agricultural Emergencies: Food and BeyondCurrent 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/

Food and Agriculture: Interconnected Systems Know your food and agriculture communitywho/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

The $26.5 Billion Dollar Dairy Business:Whats 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

Any Questions?

Thank you for inviting me to share DATCPs emergency food distribution efforts as you begin the process of long-term power outage planning. My name is Kristin Gunther, and I work in the policy and planning end of food security at DATCP. Id like to introduce this project with a few statistics about agriculture in Wisconsin. Agriculture plays a significant role in the States economy: it generates $59 billion each year and ranks as the third largest sector. We rank first in the nation for cranberry and cheese production re: cheese, WI produces 600 varieties, more than any other state or nation and we rank second in commercial vegetable production. We are home to three of the worlds largest slaughter facilities and hundreds of prominent food processors like Oscar Meyer, Kraft, Ocean Spray and Sargento, to name just a few. Our agriculture and food processing sectors employs 1 in every 8 citizens statewide. Any disruption to the food system from farm to fork will deeply impact the state. Considering the diversity and breadth of Wisconsins food economy, we began addressing the question: what events could severely disrupt the food distribution system? One of the most likely scenarios is long-term power outage. Consider that the just-in-time system for distribution and delivery means that there are no points in the system where reliable volumes of food supplies remain for any length of time. Where larger operations such as Roundys or even Wal-Mart will have larger quantities, their backup generators will be limited by fuel access. And more broadly, the fact that food production and distribution occur on increasingly larger scales by fewer players makes the system that much more vulnerable to disruptions such as a regional power outage. Food Facts:The reality is that from farm to fork, we are not prepared for a long-term disruption to the food system As the agency responsible for assuring safe and reliable access to food supplies to the public, DATCP began examining its capabilities and developing a plan for responding to a large-scale disruption to the food system. We realized that the planning process had to begin with an inventory of what the food system is in Wisconsin. The initial effort to document Wisconsins food system focused on identifying the most economically significant food sectors, the major players in each sector, and how the sectors work as a system -- from production, to distribution and warehousing, to transportation and retail. (The report captures a snapshot of the system at a particular point in time, and while it will undergo many revisions to update the information, it provides a starting point for longer-term emergency response planning.) Ive included this map to give you some perspective on the breadth of the private food sector in WI: more than 800 licensed food processors and more than 400 licensed dairies. In this map, you can see the geographic distribution of our retail sector -- including grocers and convenience stores. We have a total of 8,335 licensed retailers statewide.

Recent natural disasters both in Wisconsin (2008 floods) and in neighboring states (specifically the January 2009 ice storm in Kentucky) highlighted the need for focused planning for emergency food distribution. DATCP initiated a follow-up project to begin this process, addressing core questions such as: (see above). Coincidentally, Kentuckys 2009 ice storm and consequent power outage crisis occurred early in the process of our focus group series, underscoring the importance of our Wisconsin efforts. By late spring, we reached out to counterparts in Kentucky to learn what obstacles they faced in maintaining their food distribution system. We conducted extended interviews with emergency response, VOAD and food retailers in Kentucky to learn how they managed during and following the storm. By the way, those findings were published for our food emergency partners and are available on the DATCP webiste.We realized that most of the likely disruption events would rest on one common vulnerability: widespread loss of power for a significant length of time.Here is the challenge for government: If a major disaster were to occur in Wisconsin, the public will expect government to respond immediately. For DATCP, this means providing adequate and safe access to food and water. The speed and effectiveness of response greatly depends upon accessing the right resources, which cannot be done without industry.Convening a focus group brought a diverse stakeholders together to generate a broad view of how the system works, and how to mitigate for vulnerabilities in the system.Initially, our group began with 12 participants; by the final meeting the group had grown to 33 members representing various levels of government, industry sectors and volunteer groups. New participants were included as our meetings progressed and participants identified more specific issues for discussion.

The format consisted of 4 meetings. Focus Group meetings were structured to first identify each participants capabilities and priorities for maintaining their continuity of operations, as well as their partnerships and networking abilities. The group then identified several likely disruption scenarios for framing discussions, and decided upon long-term power outage given the breadth of impacts presented by such an event. The final meeting comprised a tabletop exercise involving an ice-storm and long-term power outage scenario where participants examined how and under what conditions they would maintain their operations focusing on backup power and communication, and access to fuel and transportation. The initial lessons revealed that a vulnerability cluster lies in power, fuel and transportation. Capabilities existing capacity within and across sectors:Agreements exist between VOAD groups to define roles and responsibilities. Examples: Southern Baptists only respond at the request of the Red Cross or Salvation Army for mass feeding services; for reliable access to backup fuel supplies the Badger Chapter of the American Red Cross has an agreement with Sysco Food Service of Baraboo, which has its own fuel tank, pump and generator. Depending on what items are being requested from industry, VOAD/industry partnerships tend to be informally structured (no agreements). Food donations from distributors can be sporadic, unlike donations of blankets or personal care items from retail partners like Wal-Mart.Large retailers and distributors such as Wal-Mart, Sysco and Reinhart FoodService maintain their own fuel supplies, backup systems and have broad regional and national network reach.

Its important to note that due to its vast size and reach, Wal-Mart is unique in the retail community in terms of its emergency response capabilities, and is an important resource for all local emergency response staff. In addition to maintaining emergency provisions in retail stores for community-level response, Wal-Mart has designated trade areas for response efforts; in this region, a disaster center in Illinois would rapidly provide water and basic food items to affected areas.

Government resources such as the Motor Carriers Management Information System provide a valuable resource for locating tractors and trailers that are licensed to operate in the state this serves as a sort of inventory for what might be available to either move or refrigerate volumes of food.

Points to make:This slide captures the extent to which power, fuel and transportation are all interdependent

Retail losses are covered by insurance, so retail would not gain profits, but could provide critical resources to a community in terms of food suppliesThis graphic shows the relationships between the various stakeholders involved in food distribution: manufacturing, warehousing and distribution, retail, and the volunteer organizations involved in mass feeding during emergencies. Power, fuel and transportation are interdependent, to the extent that gas pumps cannot operate without power; most food distributors rely upon commercial fuel supplies to transport food; and for long-term feeding, perishable food cannot be stored for any length of time without reliable power or backup generator and fuel (propane, diesel) supplies. It is important to note that the bulk of the critical resources identified by Focus Group participants are located in the private sector, and that during disasters government partners may coordinate access to these resources (through formal or informal agreements). This slide shows the cover of the Emergency Flipchart for Food Processors, Distributors and Retail Food Establishments - -it is a resource that DATCP developed with assistance from WEM (thank you Lois Ristow, Keith Tveit and Pat OConnor), Dept. Health Services, Wisconsin Grocers Association and the Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association.

The 28-page flipchart is targeted to our medium and smaller operations statewide, where emergency response guidance and contact information may not be consistent or even available. Thanks to DHS grant funding we were able to print a limited number of flipcharts for distribution, and of course this is accessible on our website. The flipchart provides an all-hazards guidance for the food industry, including medical emergencies, power failure, severe weather, product contamination and various water issues including flooding, chemical spills, fire, natural gas and propane leaks, suspicious substances, bomb threats, robbery and civil unrest events. A list of references and important contacts is provided in the back of the chart Another component of the toolkit is a food emergency contact template which can be customized This slide shows one of the pages from the food emergency resource checklist, with information generated from focus group discussions already entered. This section shows which VOAD groups have access to specific food emergency response resources, with blank fields below for each county to add their local VOAD stakeholders to the list. To the right, there are primary and backup contact information fields. This checklist is by no means exhaustive: in addition to the VOADs, there are sections for Local Retailers (grocers, gas and convenience, as well as places like Home Depot where generators can be accessed); and Industry (food processors, ice plants, warehouses and distribution centers).WARN: a network of agriculture and government groups to facilitate an industry-wide awareness and response to an animal health emergency or crisis incident involving Wisconsin agriculture; Quickly disseminate scientific, accurate information to media, producers and industry groups and consumers. Maintain consumer confidence in Wisconsin's food products and U.S. food safety systems

MSP = a collaborative forum of State Departments of Agriculture, State Veterinarian's Offices, Homeland Security Advisors, Animal Health Departments, and Emergency Management Divisions from the following states: Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.The Partnership was formed in 2003 and strives to encourage collaboration between states, federal partners and state agency associations. Our mission is to collaborate, share information and prevent duplication of effort between states on agriculture emergency preparedness and response initiatives. The Partnership has produced tools that have assisted states in addressing many of the challenges involved in securing the agriculture sector.The work of the Partnership has focused on the following priority areas: Risk communications during agricultural emergencies Interstate and intrastate planning for agricultural emergencies: including food, crop and animal health related events Joint training on preparedness, response, and recovery related issues Exercising and testing plans both interstate and intrastate Promoting collaboration and the sharing of information and resources amongst all states Addressing agriculture emergency response policy related issues

A worthy mention: as a result of our planning efforts, some of our industry participants are taking action. Kwik Trip has implemented generator hookup guidelines for all of its new sites; The Wisconsin Grocers Association is communicating with its members about the need to connect with county emergency managers and consider upgrades to existing facilities to allow generator hookup; and Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association is doing the same.

Id like to wrap up my presentation with a snapshot of the dairy industry since it is our most economically significant food sector and will impact all areas of the state if disrupted. We have 12,929 dairy herds in WI populated by 1.2 million cows. In a single day 25 billion lbs of milk moves through the state. If milk cannot be moved from farm to dairy within a day or two farmers will be forced to dispose of milk on their farms posing potentially serious environmental consequences that quickly become health and safety issues beyond the farm. I offer this point to emphasize that food distribution is one part of the larger food emergency that you will be contending with in a long-term power outage.

Our food distribution project sought to locate the most likely sources of food and the means for distributing it to those in need during a major food system disruption. We have a better understanding of the available capabilities to met those objectives, and feel weve made a solid step forward in the much larger process of COOP planning with our food and agriculture industries. We welcome your suggestions and ideas as you begin developing your own food and agriculture response plans and hope to participate in your upcoming food and ag exercises!

Thank you very much!

On that note, Im happy to answer any questions you may have