The 2025 Federal Food Symposium will be held April 1-2 at Fayetteville Technical Community College’s Tony Rand Student Center.
The Federal Food Symposium (FFS), hosted by the Office of US Senator Thom Tillis, the Office of US Senator Ted Budd, the North Carolina Military Business Center and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, connects the Department of Defense and federal subsistence buying and research and development (R&D) agencies with food producers, growers, and R&D entities in the southeast. 
At the December Greater Fayetteville Business Journal Power Breakfast, NCMBC Executive Director, Scott Dorney, mentioned that in North Carolina the industry that makes the most money is agriculture and there are tremendous opportunities to provide products to the military and other federal government agencies. With over 50,000 people eating breakfast at Fort Liberty every morning the NCMBC wants them to eat North Carolina eggs and North Carolina bacon and for shoppers at the Commissary to buy North Carolina products. The FFS will bring together representatives from the military, federal government agencies, industry, academia so that growers, producers, processors, and logistical and support contractors can learn about government opportunities and learn how to get their products to the military through commissary sales and troop feeding operations.

Sessions and organizations scheduled to present topics include:

Retail Food Operations and Business Opportunities. The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) will highlight the scope, challenges and business opportunities associated with providing retail food support to military personnel, retirees, and family members worldwide.  He will also highlight initiatives that make the Commissary both a valued benefit and a contributor to recruitment, retention, family readiness, and quality of life for America’s warfighters and their families. 

Retail Food Opportunities: Brand and Non-Brand Products. Officials from DeCA will provide an overview of worldwide commissary operations, acquisition processes and vendor qualification under Title 10, broker and distributor engagement and regional contracts and prime vendors for non-brand products.  Other speakers will highlight logistical and financial processes for selling through DeCA and will provide the broker and prime vendor perspectives, including their processes for engaging suppliers.

Tactical Rations: Supply Chain and Research and Development. Officials from the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Soldier Center will highlight ongoing research into advanced tactical rations.  The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Subsistence Supply Chain will address acquisition and distribution processes and challenges for current tactical rations.  Finally, current tactical ration and food packaging suppliers and R&D entities will address their market engagement, supply chain/vendor qualification processes and ongoing research in food preservation, packaging and other technologies germane to advanced tactical rations. 
Subsistence Support to the Warfighter: Current and Future Challenges. The Executive Director, Contracting and Acquisition Management, Defense Logistics Agency, Troop Support will discuss challenges in providing operational food support to America’s warfighters at installations and deployed locations worldwide, including in a future contested logistics environment.  He will also discuss the critical role of growers, food producers, distributors, service providers and other industry partners in partnering with DLA to support America’s warfighters in peace and war.
Dining Facility Troop Feeding: Operations and Business Opportunities. Installation food service representative(s) will discuss food requirements generation and ordering processes to support their troop feeding facilities.  DLA Subsistence officials will outline acquisition processes for supporting dining facilities at multiple installations through regional prime vendor contracts.  Full line and fresh fruit/vegetable prime vendors will discuss their challenges and supplier engagement processes in support of DLA, installations and warfighters.

Other Federal Agency and Department of Defense Opportunities. DLA Subsistence speakers will address acquisitions to support Job Corps Centers, VA Hospitals, other non-DoD customers and, with the Department of Agriculture, over 16,200 schools and 117 tribes through the National School Lunch Program and the Federal Distribution Program to Indian Reservations, respectively.  Speakers will also address food requirements and support to Exchange and Non-Appropriated Fund (NAF) activities on military installations.

Registration and sponsorship opportunities are now available.

The FFS was initially scheduled for last November, but with the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene the event was postponed so that organizations and resources could remain focused on helping Western Carolina.

More information on the FFS can be found online at: www.food.ncmbc.us.