Food Policy Resources

Dayton has been hard hit by grocery store closures in low-income areas. Instead of begging the big companies to stay, the community took the lead and is building a worker-owned, community-controlled co-op grocery store.  These photos are from the Annual Membership Meeting.  Upon proof of membership, each person receives a green and red card. Throughout the evening, various options are debated and then put to a vote of the members. Decisions aren't made in New York by looking at a spreadsheet; they are made in a community center looking at the neighborhood. The Hall Hunger Initiative proudly supports Co-op Dayton, the lead organization bringing a community-run grocery to the people. We're not building a grocery store; we're building a movement!

Image credit: Mark Willis; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

The community ‚ Eat a Rainbow, garden in Ludington, Michigan engages youth ages 4-7 years old in gardening activities throughout the summer. LiveWell Mason County Food Council has supported this effort for two years, engaging in a collaboration between the Lakeshore Food Club and MSU Extension. As a sustainable community effort, additional garden beds were added this year, and students were able to donate produce to the food pantry twice. This is an exciting programming effort because children help plant, tend, and harvest this garden. They learned where food comes from and what creates a healthy plate. Even as young children, they begin to realize that they have a food voice that can impact not only their family but the community where they live. Often, there were surprises waiting in the garden. American historian, Alice Morse Earle said, Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination.  When tomatoes and zucchini are growing out of control, and they seem to double in size overnight, children use their imaginations to consider other possible uses for these amazing garden creations. Together, we giggled in excitement, admired our harvest, and one student piped up, Baseball anyone?

Image credit: Kendra Gibson; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council has been working on the Greater Pittsburgh Food Action Plan for nearly two years and is getting very close to completion. After completing a several month-long community engagement process, our staff were hard at work analyzing the data that resulted and trying to determine what themed roundtables would round out our Plan. After puzzling over this for a good while, we landed on an approach that we felt was sure to work; aligning sectors from our State of the Food System report with the themes that emerged from our community engagement sessions and then identifying roundtable topics that complimented and filled in the gaps. It was perfect!

But only until we realized that our hardworking scribe was using a permanent marker on the dry-erase board! After a quick photo was snapped Sarah and Karlin got busy furiously trying to clean the whiteboard. And once the dust settled, we spent a bit of time determining who might have mixed a permanent marker in with the whiteboard markers. We're looking at you, Dawn.

Image credit: Mariama Badjie; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

In 2019, the Food Council's Policy Committee created a Licensing Subcommittee to evaluate and address the licensing and regulatory requirements that pose a barrier to culinary educators and instructors, non-profit organizations, and food businesses interested in conducting food demos or sampling. Our subcommittee was comprised of approximately 15 community stakeholders whose business or organization was impacted by the requirements. After four meetings, the group collected research and input to understand the challenges created by the existing regulatory environment, and also assessed the requirements for food businesses and non-profit organizations in neighboring counties, to create a list of recommendations, which were presented by Food Council representatives to the County's Department of Health and Human Services. We will be working with members of the County Council over the next few months to propose legislation that will ease the financial and logistical difficulties related to securing a temporary food service license and farmers market permit. We expect that our efforts will enable dozens of businesses and organizations throughout the County to more easily provide food education to residents, promoting increased nutritional health and a bolstered food economy in Montgomery County.

Image credit: Catherine Nardi; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

Throughout 2019, Food Council staff, Council Members, and partners visited Montgomery County Public Schools which have implemented exemplary wellness initiatives that encourage students to make healthier, more conscientious choices. We created a School Wellness Communications Campaign to highlight these schools through our blog and social media, promote a celebration of existing and evolving school wellness initiatives, and encourage schools throughout the County to adopt similar programs. Oakland Terrace Elementary School was the first school featured in the campaign; among the wonderful wellness initiatives at the school is a large school garden. The various gardens within the courtyard, including a colonial garden, sensory garden, woodland garden, and salad science garden, each serve a different purpose and parallel the classroom curriculum so that students can continue their learning in a different environment with a unique lens. The garden also features a composting system, so that students can learn about environmental sustainability and reducing waste. The Food Council's Environmental Impact Working Group is currently engaged in promoting in-school composting efforts, in partnership with County leaders and the County's Department of Environmental Protection, and will continue highlighting the schools that are exemplifying sustainability and wellness measures similar to those at Oakland Terrace.

Image credit: Catherine Nardi; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

The Michigan Local Food Policy Council Network hosted a series of webinars to prepare our membership for our first Legislative Education Day. On this day, food policy councils from across Michigan came together in Lansing to advocate and educate their elected officials on their favorite programs and food systems issues.

Image credit: Vanessa Garcia Polanco ; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

In Michigan, Lake County has 18% of its residents reporting food insecurity. Grand Oaks Nursing Center, MSU Extension, and the Lake County Community Food Council had a shared vision of creating garden beds for Grand Oaks residents and staff. Four community beds and three wheelchair-accessible beds were installed in the facility's patio area. The administration explored best food safety practices for preparing the produce and received approval to be able to offer garden-to-table experiences for these seniors. Even though residents don't get to choose their meals, these gardens evoke positive memories of gardening, canning, and family meals. Glen, a Grand Oaks resident, spent time daily watering and weeding the plants. He asked staff to prepare fresh salads made from the tomatoes and greens that he helped grow. He shared how much he loved the garden and that it gave him something to look forward to. Looking back, our original goal was food security, but this project has also reminded us about the emotional health benefits of growing a garden. British biographer Jenny Uglow reminds us that we may think we are nurturing the garden, but of course, it's our garden that is really nurturing us.

Image credit: Christine Engels; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

To promote healthy and local foods available at the farmers market the Ohio State James Mobile Education Kitchen provided cooking demonstrations on the last Friday of every month at the market. Every day, 150-375 people sampled new recipes as they watched the prep on the truck's television, received recipe cards with that day's meals, and got a Pearl Market tote to encourage spending at the market!

Image credit: Sam Sharkey; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

In 2019, PA Governor Tom Wolf proposed a package of bills (the PA Farm Bill). These proposed bills allocated much needed resources in a variety of areas. Most notably, it included the first state-level allocation of funds specifically for Urban Agriculture projects. This component of the proposal included $500,000 to be distributed in mini-grants and larger, collaborative infrastructure projects. The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council (PFPC) organized a number of advocacy efforts to gather support for the bill; held and live-streamed an info-session with a representative from the State Dept of Ag, council members contacted various state representatives to express support for the bill and facilitated discussions among PFPC member organizations to develop collaborative proposals. When the bill was passed, the PFPC sent a delegation to the Capitol for the signing ceremony. This photo shows our delegation of Karen Gardner (National Young Farmers Alliance), Hannah Smith-Brubaker (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture), Dana Harris-Yates (PFPC Urban Ag Working Group Co-chair), Dawn Plumer (PFPC), Karlin Lamberto (PFPC) smiling big in front of the Capitol. Side note: Once the bill was approved and the Urban Agriculture Infrastructure grants were awarded Pittsburgh and Allegheny County organizations were awarded 19% of the 500K.

Image credit: Karen Gardner; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

On October 8, #DontMuteMyHealth leaders, ambassadors and partners held a press conference on the steps of the D.C. Council building to introduce the Healthy Beverage Choices Act of 2019, a sugary drink tax effort designed to combat the negative health impacts of sugary drinks on communities of color in the District. The 30 gallons on the steps represent the amount of sugary beverages that an average child drinks in a year.

Image credit: LaDon Love; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

To promote the Pearl Market, Sam (the market manager) dressed up as a sunflower to hand out flyers two times a month during the summer. She definitely got some stares walking around downtown Columbus, OH as a flower pot, but it put a smile on everyone's face!

Image credit: Franklin County Food Council, Peal Farmer's Market; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

Ottawa Food implements a Produce Donation Program at local farmers markets, where shoppers are encouraged to purchase extra produce and donate it to community members in need. This little boy brought a donation of blueberries when his grandmother (Ottawa Food member) was collecting donations at the Holland Farmers Market. Afterward, he decided to have his own free produce stand at home!

Image credit: Deb Ralya; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

This soil was made from yard and kitchen debris diverted from the urban waste stream and was used to educate community members on how to produce their own fresh, healthy and organic food. Everybody wanted to know what was going on with the wagon. Then they enjoyed the tomatoes.

Image credit: Susanna Dzejachok; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

Our photo was snapped on one of our FarmHop farm tours in September 2019. For the past three years, our food council has organized a series of farm tours of local, family farms in our region to allow the public a chance to see what small farms really look like and get to know the people who grow our food. Raising awareness in the general public about the needs of our farmers is a daunting task and requires excellent storytelling, consistent messaging and above all, an opportunity for consumers to emotionally and personally connect with producers.  Through the FarmHop tours, we've increased year-round local farmer sales and facilitated valuable business connections (including peer-to-peer mentoring between farmers!). On evaluations, 100% of FarmHop guests reported that they would attend again and that the experience has changed how they view and value food. The two little girls in this photo (Teagan on the left, Frankie on the right) just finished milking Red, an alpine goat, at The Pioneering Pig Homestead. Sandy was particularly fond of Frankie and leaned in to give her a goat kiss, and we captured Frankie's sweet little recoil and Teagan's amusement.

Image credit: Anne Massie; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

In December, a group of cities convened in Denver to learn about best practices for addressing food waste. While not a lot of Food Policy Councils are working on food waste, it has been a high-priority issue for the Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council (represented by Robin Henderson on the right) and the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council (represented by Rebecca Bykoski on the left). We learned from city staff and food policy council members from Baltimore, Denver, Austin, and a number of other cities leading food waste work and then toured Denver's compost facility and saw the shocking amount of food that is thrown away. All those piles are wasted food! Some of the work we have done in Cincinnati over the last two years to prevent these kinds of piles include collaborating on a regional save the food campaign, investing in coordinated food rescue at institutional kitchens, expanding the adoption of share tables throughout the region, training public health inspectors on food rescue, and organizing a regional forum on food waste efforts and collaborative needs. Through this work, we are reducing the amount of food in landfills and helping more people access perfectly edible food.

Image credit: Michaela Oldfield; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2019.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

In 2013, the Adams County Food Policy Council connected a community-generated idea with a local nonprofit, South Central Community Action Programs. The Gleaning Project of South Central Pennsylvania was born with a mission to make good use of agricultural excess, reduce food insecurity and improve nutrition, and connect our community. It became an outlet for the 20% of food on farms that goes to waste through no fault of the farmer. The first photo shows sweet and crisp apples that might have gone to waste simply because they are so small. Years of outreach and partnerships followed to educate the community about the practice of gleaning and to empower individuals of any age to be a gleaning superhero. The second photo shows a young volunteer during a potato bagging event, one of over 600 community members who volunteer with The Gleaning Project each year. Since 2013, about one million pounds of produce has been gleaned and distributed for free to individuals experiencing food insecurity in Adams County. Through partnerships with senior centers, food pantries, housing authorities, and more, about 9,000 individuals had access to gleaned produce this year. The third photo shows a selection of gleaned produce that is available on The Gleaning Project produce stand during the summer months.

Image credit: Elizabeth Cooper, Adams County Food Policy Council; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2018.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

In 2017, the Montgomery County Food Council worked with our County government and partner organizations to create the Food Security Plan, a five-year plan to address and reduce food insecurity levels in Montgomery County. Recommendations of the Plan include standardizing data collection from food assistance providers, supporting capacity building, and analyzing transportation barriers to food access. We worked with CountyStat and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation to create FoodStat, a data analysis tool that synthesizes all relevant data available in order to identify food access barriers and resources in our communities, determine priority zones of highest unmet need and potential service delivery gaps, and facilitate collaboration, program efficiencies, and capacity building.

We work closely with local food and beverage producers and farmers to connect them to individual, retail, and wholesale customers and to highlight their products in markets, at events, and throughout the community. In 2018, we hosted two "MoCo Made Days," each attended by hundreds of community members, to celebrate Montgomery County food and beverage producers. We've released three editions of the Montgomery County Food and Beverage Guide, each listing dozens of Montgomery County food and beverage businesses and farms. We created the MoCo Made logo in November 2017 in partnership with the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation to increase the visibility of our local food and beverage sector.

Our staff, Council Members, and volunteers are also dedicated to ensuring that our food system has minimal environmental impact. We have organized and participated in gleanings at local farms to recover food that would otherwise not be harvested, and work with a food rescue organization to donate that produce to food assistance providers. We advocate for the expansion of commercial and residential composting and have collaborated with County Council to create the Strategic Plan to Advance Composting and Compost Use. We believe that the journey that food takes from the table to the waste stream is just as important as from farm to table.

Image credit: Massa Cressall and Catherine Nardi, Montgomery County Food Council; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2018.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

It was a big year for workers' rights in Philadelphia! In June 2018, Councilwoman Helen Gym introduced legislation to establish common-sense standards to protect low-wage workers against unpredictable scheduling in the food service, retail, and hospitality sectors. The Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council's Workforce and Economic Development subcommittee worked with One PA, a nonprofit that unites low-income and working-class activists, to learn more about their campaign and brainstorm ways FPAC can lend support.

The Workforce subcommittee guides the City in developing and implementing policies and practices to build a stronger regional economy and just food system in which workers along the entire food chain enjoy quality jobs that provide economic stability and upward mobility. At FPAC meetings, Political Director Salewa Ogunmefun and Campaigner Felicia Carter presented on the details of the Fair Workweek legislation and highlighted the importance of gathering workers' stories that describe the impact an unstable schedule has on predicting monthly incomes, planning for childcare, and making ends meet overall. The proposed legislation would require that chains with at least 250 employees and over 30 locations provide advanced notice of schedules, a pathway to access more hours of work, compensation for last-minute schedule changes, and protection from retaliation. Workforce members put out a call for workers' stories, sent a letter of support urging the Kenney Administration to support the legislation, and incorporated the bill's components into its Guide to Fair Labor for Good Food Businesses. On December 6th, the City Council passed the Fair Workweek legislation through a 14-3 vote. This is a tremendous victory for over 130,000 food service, retail, and hospitality workers, and it will be key to building stronger families and a stronger Philadelphia!

Image credit: Mary Pham, Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council; CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2018.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

Research has shown that people are more likely to walk, bike, or use public transportation to get to their destination‚ including a grocery store‚ when conditions are safe and when transportation is accessible and affordable. But all too often, low-income neighborhoods lack grocery stores, and people are less likely to own a vehicle. This means thousands of people must walk to the grocery store or rely on public transportation. With this in mind, the Grocery Access Task Force recently took a look at six KCMO bus stops near grocery stores. Working with representatives from the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, the group recommended targeted repairs and improvements that would help residents in underserved/low-vehicle-ownership areas do their grocery shopping by city bus. The recommendations, which include ADA accessibility, crosswalks, and safe sidewalks, were submitted to the city manager's office early this year. KC Healthy Kids' dietetics interns have created healthy recipes that use affordable, easy-to-carry ingredients. These, along with tips for grocery shopping by bus and links to food assistance programs, can be found at https://www.kchealthykids.org/fare-food-shopping/. For our city to thrive, we must make sure everyone has safe sidewalks, crosswalks, and bus stops to help them get where they are going. Convened by the Greater Kansas City Food Policy Coalition, the Grocery Access Task Force consists of nearly 30 experts representing leadership from government, public health, grocery retail, civic, and community and economic development organizations. Together, they have explored barriers to supermarket and grocery store development in underserved neighborhoods.

Image credit: Heather Gibbons, Greater Kansas City Food Policy Coalition, CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2018.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.

Earlier this year, we had our 13th Annual Food Policy Summit at the South Shore Cultural Center where we brainstormed and discussed strategies for passing the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) in Cook County. We had already helped passed it in the city and at Chicago Public School system, but we wanted to take a moment to reflect and analyze how GFPP could be more equitable with our coalition partners and community members during the summit. We dreamed big of passing not only passing GFPP in the county but also across the state and the nation. Inspired by the summit and committed to building racial equity in our communities, we mobilized food justice advocates to make calls and sign petitions. The second picture is reflective of how advocacy efforts takes a lot of time inside meeting chambers, but our hopes are still holding on strong. Our mobilization and patience paid off! We we're the first county to pass the Good Food Purchasing Program in the nation. The Cook County resolution is the most explicit Good Food Purchasing Program policy to date that accounts for and corrects power imbalances in access to resources, land, and investment for businesses, workers, and farmers that have long been marginalized in the food system, particularly low-income and communities of color. Under the Program, the County will incentivize contracts with minority- and women-owned businesses in order to preserve and secure urban farmland with equitable community ownership and to transition publicly owned vacant lots to minority-owned social enterprises and land trusts. By adopting this policy, it will impact over $20 million in annual purchasing for the county's hospitals and prisons. We believe the Good Food Purchasing Program has the power to transform the food system in every region where it is implemented. We are excited to implement this model for food procurement that supports the most impacted frontline communities.

Image credit: Carolina Sanchez and Kara Rodriguez, Chicago Food Policy Action Council , CLF Food Policy Networks Photo Contest, 2018.

By downloading this image, you agree to use the photo within the context that it was taken. You also agree to never use it for commercial purposes. The image always belongs to the original photographer and should be attributed to the photographer and Center for a Livable Future Food Policy Networks Photo Contest.