a Food Policy Council?

I’ve been doing some research on food policy councils - what they are and what benefits they can bring to a community. In December of 2022, I began hosting a series of food access stakeholders meetups in Augusta GA… to bring all the “players” in the “food game” to the table, with the goal that we devise solutions together. In this context, players refers to all who have a connection with food - those who grow it, transport it, aggregate it, distribute it, donate it… you know the drill.

These monthly meetings continue to spark creative collaborations and program developments. However, the motivation for calling everyone together was to put small and mid-sized farmers at the forefront of the conversation and ensure that Black farmers were at the table from beginning - and not as an afterthought like so many of these initiatives tend to lean.

Senator Harold Jones II has been an integral voice in leading the State of Georgia toward addressing food insecurity, legacy farmer Loretta Adderson has been a longtime champion for farmers of color, and Carolyn Henry (LogicPoint Consulting) has been guiding this current process of asset mapping and process improvement.

I asked my intern to pull together a few resources, which are listed below. Please join the conversation at growingaugusta.mn.co.

-kgordon

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\what is a food policy council?

A food policy council is a body of citizens, governments, and organizations working together to identify, research, monitor, and advocate for food system policies. These councils work to assess the current state of their local food system and create policies that promote food security, healthy eating, fair labor practices, environmental sustainability, and other food-based issues.

\why is a food policy council important?

A food policy council is important because it brings together stakeholders with diverse backgrounds to identify, assess and solve food-related problems within a community. A food policy council can work to ensure that people have access to nutritious, affordable and safe food, as well as food-related educational opportunities, research and policy development. It can also serve as a forum to identify areas of collaboration on food policy and to effectively implement food-related initiatives.

\how does a food policy council work?

A food policy council works by forming members from diverse backgrounds that have a stake in the food system, such as government officials, health care professionals, farmers, and members of concerned communities. The council works together to develop and advocate for policies that can improve the local food system. They may consult with local and state governments, create policy proposals, and facilitate public education and dialogue about food-related issues. They may also monitor existing food policy initiatives and make recommendations to local elected officials, and lobby for particular policies or regulations. Ultimately, the goal of a food policy council is to promote sustainable and equitable food systems that benefit all stakeholders.

\how to form a food policy council

1. Establish a Steering Committee: The first and most important step in forming a Food Policy Council is to create a steering committee. This is a group of stakeholders who will be involved in the process of forming the council and guiding its work. The steering committee should include food system leaders from the public, private and civic sectors, including representatives from the local agricultural and food business communities, health care professionals, and representatives from advocacy organizations, faith-based institutions, non-profit organizations and government agencies.

2. Develop the Council's Mission: Once the steering committee is formed, the next step is to develop the council's mission. The mission should clearly state why the council has come together and what it hopes to accomplish.

3. Adopt Bylaws to Govern the Council's Work: The council will need to adopt bylaws to govern its activities. This document should include provisions outlining the council's structure, such as the composition of the steering committee and the number of members, as well as the procedures for meetings and decision-making processes.

4. Identify and Define the Council's Focus Areas: Once the mission and governing documents are in place, the council can begin to identify and define its focus areas. The council should consider the current state of the local food system and any issues that need to be addressed, such as access to healthy food, school food, food security, urban agriculture, and food waste.

5. Establish a Process for Public Engagement: It is important for the council to create a process for engaging the public in its work. The council should consider how to actively seek public input, solicit feedback from different stakeholders, and incorporate the public's needs and concerns into the policy decisions that it makes.

6. Develop a Plan of Action: Finally, the council should develop a plan of action that outlines how it will address the issues that it has identified. The plan should include specific goals and timelines, as well as concrete strategies for how the council will pursue its mission.

 \additional resources:

1. Community Food Strategies is a website that focuses on supporting the efforts of local and regional food policy councils, with resources on how to establish, operate and evaluate a council. https://communityfoodstrategies.org/toolkit/ 

2. The PolicyLink Equitable Development Toolkit has a section on food policy councils and provides guidance and resources for establishing a council for policy change. https://www.policylink.org/equitable-development-toolkit/food-policy-councils

3. The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future provides guidance on implementing and sustaining effective food policy councils with many resources to download for free. https://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-for-a-livable-future/projects/food-policy-network/ 

4. The Urban Institute provides a publication called “Building Partnerships and Strategies to Improve Food Access and Health for Children and Families” which outlines food policy council strategies to assist decision-makers in developing effective policies. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/building-partnerships-and-strategies-improve-food-access-and-health-children-and-families

5. The Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems has many resources for food policy councils and provides research on food systems, policy development, and the role of food in community development. https://www.canr.msu.edu/foodsystems/food-policy-council-resources 

6. The Food & Environment Reporting Network has an extensive archive of articles on food policy councils, including their role in promoting food system change and implementing fair food policies. https://thefern.org/tag/food-policy-councils/ 

7. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition provides an extensive list of resources and reports on food policy councils - including reports on dozens of councils around the US. http://sustainableagriculture.net/food-policy/ 

8. The Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School provides a toolkit aimed at communal food governance initiatives. It provides guidance to forming food policy councils as a mechanism for regulating and promoting sustainable food systems. https://www.vermontlaw.edu/academics/centers-and-programs/center-for-agriculture-and-food-systems/resources/toolkits/community-food-governance 

9. The Food Policy Networks project has plenty of resources on food policy councils, including an extensive directory of food policy councils across the United States. https://foodpolicynetworks.org/ 

10. The Food Tank website has numerous articles and reports on various issues in food policy along with guidance on how to approach policy change at various levels of governance. https://foodtank.com/sector/food-policy/

A. Walker-Thomas

Intern

Growing Augusta: Arts, Agriculture, & Agency