Food Policy Resources

This toolkit provides a framework and model language for land use policies that local policymakers can tailor to promote and sustain urban agriculture in their communities.

Created by Heather Wooten and Amy Ackerman

A growing number of local governments across the United States are rebuilding food systems through innovative public policy. Local governments are using plans, regulatory tools, fiscal incentives, and institutional mechanisms to strengthen food systems. This brief  includes a synthesis of recent best practices of local government policy and planning designed to strengthen community food systems.

Created by Kailee Neuner, Sylvia Kelly and Samina Raja

Food councils are developing across Canada to support and integrate an increasing number of community food initiatives and encourage the development of policy that supports a food system that is both just and sustainable. One of the primary tools food councils utilize to coordinate their work is a food Charter. This assessment involved performing a content analysis on 24 Canadian Food Charters, four telephone interviews, and seven electronic surveys. The overall aim of this assessment is to make recommendations to the Healthy Eating Working Group regarding the best methods for the development and implementation of a Food Charter in Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington.

Created by Megan May Jaquith

Resolution by the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota to establish the Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council and describing the membership and governance of the council.

This report provides evidence for the impact of local and regional food systems on creating jobs and developing local and regional economies. It provides a rationale for local food policy advocates to support the development of local and regional food systems.

Created by Jeffrey K O'Hara

Public awareness piece created by the Knoxville-Knox County (Tennessee) Food Policy Council highlighting how the food system is critical to economic and social development of Knox County.

Reviews the scientific evidence linking consumption of sugar drinks to obesity, evaluates the use of pricing policies, and summarizes some of the most recent national and state initiatives and considers future developments in the implementation of pricing policies.

Created by Mary Winston Marrow

The People's Food Policy is the first-ever national food policy to be developed by the food movement itself - a diverse and dynamic network of organizations and individuals working to build a healthy, ecological, and just food system for Canada. In order to develop the People's Food Policy, Canadians contributed their ideas via three hundred and fifty Kitchen Table Talks, hundreds of policy submissions, dozens of tele-conferences, ongoing online discussions, and three cross-Canada conferences. This document outlines some of the key recommendations discussed and considers what further steps are needed.

By opening grocery stores, improving the quality and selection of food sold at convenience stores, and linking farmers directly to consumers, these efforts are increasing access to healthy foods, contributing to reduced rates of obesity and diabetes, creating jobs, increasing profits, and revitalizing distressed neighborhoods. This report presents strategies and policy opportunities to help other underserved communities replicate these successes.

Created by Rebecca Flourney

This guide shows how governments can adopt healthier "procurement" (purchasing) policies to help improve public health, lower overall costs, and provide leadership for the private sector to do the same.

On July 9, 2009, Mayor Gavin Newsom issued the Executive Directive on Healthy and Sustainable Food to all departments of the City and County of San Francisco (California). The Directive established the a food policy council as an advisory body to the Mayor. This report describes how the Directive was developed, a summary of the progress made as a result of the Directive, and future direction for food system policy and planning in San Francisco.

Created by Paula Jones

This report gives a broad overview of the local food distribution sector in Ontario, Canada and offers five case studies of initiatives bringing local food to local tables. It includes  recommended actions for policymakers and advocates to take to stimulate further uptake of enterprise models that bring such important benefits to community and land.

Created by Sally Miller

Locally grown food laws that require, or provide incentives for, purchasing food grown within a defined geographic boundary are vulnerable to challenge under the U.S. Constitution's restrictions on local and state laws that discriminate against goods and commerce from other states, known as the dormant Commerce Clause doctrine (DCCD). Policymakers and advocates for local food should understand the impact of these restrictions and should take advantage of an important exception to these restrictions when drafting policies to encourage purchase of locally grown food.

The purpose of this project is to engage agriculture stakeholders in British Columbia, Canada in discussions to develop recommendations for criteria for municipalities to use when considering applications for additional dwelling(s) for farm employees.

Created by Paula Hesje

A Master's thesis describing the history and structure of the Toronto Youth Food Policy Council.

Created by Tracy Mae Phillippi

Useful tool to assist in the policy drafting and review process, includes steps in policy planning and drafting; elements that should be included in a policy; questions for review of the policy to ensure that it is effective and comprehensive.

The Los Angeles Food Policy Task Force convened in November 2009 to identify a Good Food policy agenda and the steps to get there. The Task Force worked to develop a Good Food for All Agenda with specific action steps and recommendations for how to advance the Agenda. The Agenda seeks to increase access to Good Food for everyone, improve public health, create quality jobs and small food enterprise opportunities, increase equity in our communities, and improve environmental sustainability throughout the region. 

Executive Order 10-02: Strengthening Washington's Food Systems Through Policy and Collaboration calls for Washington state agencies to produce a report to the Governor and Legislature which provides an assessment of existing data and identifies remaining gaps and opportunities in Washington State food policy to help address food security, nutrition, and health challenges faced by Washington citizens and to support realistic solutions to these issues.

To support the Los Angeles Food Policy Task Force, this study explores the purpose, structure and development of Food Policy Councils, the processes and participants that developed them, and the outcomes of their implementation.

Created by Clare Fox

This comprehensive overview of local food systems explores alternative definitions of local food, estimates market size and reach, describes the characteristics of local consumers and producers, and examines early indications of the economic and health impacts of local food Systems.

Created by Steve Martinez, Michael Hand, Michelle Da Pra, Susan Pollack, Katherine Ralston, Travis Smith, Stephen Vogel, Shellye Clark, Luanne Lohr, Sarah Low, and Constance Newman