Food Policy Councils
Photo credit: Max G. Tag
While the presidential election is behind us, there is still so much work to do to create an equitable system at all levels of our society and government. Optimistically, the election represented a shift in national policies towards a more progressive agenda, but when it comes to local policy and food systems, there is always more to be done. One way that policies to improve food systems are accomplished at the local level is through the work of food policy councils. These councils bring together passionate individuals and create policies that often lead to real, tangible change in local municipalities. This focus on local change can be really important for individuals who seek greater access to healthy food and the agency to make sustainable choices.
What are food policy councils?
Broadly defined, food policy is a set of collective decisions made by governments, businesses, and organizations, that affect how food gets from the farm to your table. A food policy can be as broad as a federal regulation on food labeling, or as local and specific as a zoning law that lets city dwellers raise chickens.
Food policy councils (sometimes called “food system alliances” or “food system networks”) have emerged to address gaps in local policies that focus on food. Food policy councils are made up of representatives from many sub-sectors of the food system, including farmers, distributors, retailers, food service operations, government agencies (like public health, county social services, and county agriculture departments), and community organizations that work in the food system. Most communities have transportation, housing, or land use policies, but food policies are frequently overlooked or missing all together. Food policy councils are an important way to bring community members together with local governments to promote the social, economic and environmental health of local and regional food systems.
What can they accomplish?
Often, local food issues can be bi-partisan and food policy councils can be a way for communities to come together and accomplish shared goals that haven’t been addressed by government or policymakers. Food system networks can address a variety of issues not normally examined by government, such as food assistance programs, the root causes of hunger in a community, the empowerment of individuals to take charge of change, the mapping and publicizing of local food resources, the creation of new transit routes to connect underserved areas with full-service grocery stores, persuading government agencies and schools to purchase from local farmers, and organizing community gardens and farmers’ markets. All of these efforts can often contribute more directly to sustainable and equitable food system change than large sweeping measures at a federal level. To truly create a more sustainable food system we need both macro and micro level change, but working together at a grassroots level can often feel more rewarding as individuals, and be more impactful to your local community
This site from Community Food Strategies showcases everything that North Carolina Food Policy Councils accomplished in 2017. It is one of many examples of just how productive and impactful these councils can be.
A major caveat: Since the activity of food policy councils is driven primarily by community needs and capacities, as identified by council members, there is a lot of space for the bias of members to play into how priorities are defined. If a food policy council is made up entirely of wealthy, white community members, the identified needs of a community may be inaccurate or limited and the presented solutions may continue to perpetuate inequalities and maintain racist systems. Beyond simply seeking representation from a diverse group of community members, food policy councils must seek to be actively anti-racist in their plans for fostering food system equity. These extensive metrics from the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems can help food policy councils, food system practitioners and food movement organizations hold ourselves accountable for progress towards a more equitable food system.
How can you get involved?
Many local areas may already have a food policy council and as an interested citizen you may be able to join the council as an official member, or sit in on meetings and support their work. Often council members are doing grassroots work that could benefit from dedicated volunteers even if they are not officially members of the council. Councils are often also fundraising to fund their grassroots efforts such as distributing food or materials.
Johns Hopkins maintains an online database of food policy councils nationwide that may be a good place to start when looking for policy councils in your area.
If your community does not have a food policy council, you could begin the process of creating a council in your area. There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to creating a council, but there are lots of resources available. We found this “Doing Food Policy Councils Right” could be a helpful place to get started.
The best place to start is in your community itself, talking to other interested individuals who could serve as founding council members. These could be people serving in official positions in local government, food banks or pantries, farmers market operators, local farmers, restaurant owners, or representatives from underserved communities in your area. Depending on the needs of your community and the capacity of the group your food policy council can decide how to prioritize project areas.
Sources:
