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Food Check-Out Day (FCOD) will be celebrated Feb. 8, with Ohio’s counties engaged in a host of activities across the state designed to draw attention to the affordability of the food supply.

Food Check-Out Day celebrates the day in which average Americans have earned enough income to pay for their family’s entire 2002 food supply. According to the latest statistics compiled by the Agriculture Department’s Economic Research Service, American families spend, on average, 10.6 percent of their disposable income for food.

Applying the current 10.6 percent statistic to the calendar year, it means the average household will have earned enough disposable income – that portion of income available for spending or saving – to pay for its annual food supply in just 39 days.

The goal of FCOD is to make consumers aware that the high quality, affordable food they enjoy is a product of the successful food production and distribution system, as well as America’s farmers retaining access to effective and affordable crop protection tools.

This year the Ohio Grocers Association (OGA) and the Kroger Company will be cooperating with OFBF in recognizing Food Check-Out Day. OGA will focus on the week of Feb. 3 to 9 as Food Check-Out Week. Recognizing the week in which FCOD occurs allows them to incorporate materials and messages into a weekly advertising schedule.

The Kroger Company will run advertisements in its circulars for most of the Ohio stores the week before and the week of FCOD, as well as have in-store signage drawing attention to the significance of the event. More than 100 Kroger stores from Toledo to Marietta will be participating.

Ohio Farm Bureau will also be coordinating events with Nationwide’s Columbus offices and will be joining Lucas County Farm Bureau in hosting a media event at Kroger’s in Toledo on FCOD.

For more information on county events, contact your county Farm Bureau office.