International Food Business Incubation Network Conference

Posted by on August 25, 2008

October 5-8 International Food Business Incubation Network Conference Highlights New Strategies for Sustainability and Community Food Security

The 6th Annual Food Business Incubation Network (FoodBIN) Conference will be held October 5 to October 8 in Cherry Hill, NJ near Philadelphia, PA.  It will provide a unique opportunity for

* social enterprise proponents
* community development specialists
* microenterprise and small business lenders
* food business development advisors
* urban and rural economic development professionals
* food technology support groups

to learn about how food business incubation practices are helping regional economies and supporting entrepreneurs and farmers around the world.

The FoodBIN Conference is being held as a special segment of the 2008 Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC) Annual Conference.  At least 1,000 attendees are expected to attend this event which will be offering a series of programs that like FoodBIN will be examining strategies for Restoring Our Urban and Rural Communities with Healthy Food.   In addition to a sequence of panel discussions and presentations at the CFSC Crown Point Hotel Conference Center, FoodBIN will feature a tour of the recently opened Rutgers Food Innovation Center in nearby Bridgeton, NJ and opportunities to meet with and learn from entrepreneurs about how they have benefitted from food incubator services.

The FoodBIN will focus on links food business incubators in the US and other nations are making to

* “buy local” initiatives
* food sustainability
* poverty alleviation
* nutrition education
* distribution and trade

Program sessions will include presentations and/or panel discussions on:

* Food and Agribusiness Incubation – A Catalyst for Regional Economic Development featuring commentaries about specialty food and agribusiness trends
* Food Business Incubation – One Size Does Not Fit All featuring presentations by directors of La Cocina Community Kitchen, Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center, Appalahchian Center for Enterprise Networks, and the Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development
* State and Federal Programs for Funding Your Incubator, Community Development Programs and Your Clients featuring comments from USDA Rural Development and CSREES and state agricultural experiment station specialists
* Microenterprise, Private-Sector and Foundation Programs for Funding Your Incubator, Community Development Programs and Your Clients featuring commentaries by food industry experts and incubator client service providers
* FoodBIN 2009 and Beyond: Networks and Collaborations that Increase Value of the FoodBIN to the International Food and Agribusiness Incubation Community

For more information or to register for the Conference, visit http://www.foodinnovation.rutgers.edu or call 856-459-1125.  Information about the Community Food Security Conference can be found at http://healthyfoodconference.com