Why a food policy council

1
Why a food policy council?

• Food Policy Council Models

2
Winnes 3-Ps of Developing Just and
Sustainable Local Food Systems

• Projects the programs, activities, businesses,
  and initiatives that make up local food systems
• Partnerships the process, collaborations,
  coalitions, and multi-stakeholder efforts that
  are formed to accomplish something that no single
  entity can accomplish alone
• Policy the actions and in-actions of government
  at all levels (local, state, federal) that
  influence the supply, quality, price, production,
  distribution, and consumption of food

3
Lots of groups try to fill gaps with food
projects like

• Non-profit organizations (farmers markets, CSAs,
  community gardens)
• Community Development Corporations (supermarket
  development, new farm enterprises)
• Faith-based institutions (food pantries, food
  banks)
• Government Services and Programs (food stamps,
  WIC, farmland preservation)
• Schools (child nutrition programs,
  farm-to-school)
• Cooperative Extension (farmer assistance,
  nutrition education)
• Private entrepreneurs (market-based enterprises,
  coops)

4
But still no effort to develop coordinated food
policy

• Since state and local governments dont have
  Departments of Food, FPCs can
• -    represent a variety of private and public
  food system interest groups and agencies
• -    cut across government department lines and
  focus on food, nutrition, and agriculture issues
• -    serve as a food system planning venue and
  promote coordination between food system
  stakeholders
• - accept responsibility for ensuring that major
  food and farming goals, e.g. food is a human
  right, farmers are protected, are met

5
Food Policy Councils General Purposes and
Mission

• Develop, coordinate, and implement a food system
  policy
• Connect economic development, food security
  efforts, preservation and enhancement of
  agriculture, and environmental concerns
• Ensure universal access to healthy and affordable
  food for all citizens
• Support development and expansion of locally
  produced food
• Review proposed legislation affecting the food
  system
• Make recommendations to the governmental
  leadership
• Employ research and information gathering, policy
  analysis, and public education methods
• Serve as a public forum for the discussion of key
  food system issues

6
3 models for Food Policy Councils

• State or municipal level created by statue
• E.g. Connecticut Food Policy Council, Hartford
  Food Policy Council
• Representation on council mandated, split
  government and public
• Advantages Statues are law, perhaps more
  permanence, sometimes can gain funding from state
  appropriation
• State or municipal level created by executive
  order
• Executive appoints members, come up with
  recommendations
• Disadvantages no funding, no force of law to
  implement recommendations
• Self-organized coalitions
• Membership open to everyone, can encompass a
  large geographical area without political
  boundaries
• Disadvantages Not functioning from within
  government, need funding

7
What we chose for Kansas City

• A coalition that can develop policy
  recommendations -- can advocate, educate and
  coordinate
• Membership widespread from different
  constituencies in the Kansas City area
• Farming, food banking, schools, health and
  hospitals, nutritionists, supermarkets, private
  entrepreneurs, university extension, state,
  county and municipal departments,
  intergovernmental cooperative bodies,
  restaurants, distributors, neighborhood groups,
  elected and appointed officials, food and food
  production related industries
• To provide coordination and to develop
  partnerships to make sure food policy happens
• Policy is more than ordinances and laws, its
  also about policies within organizations,
  implementation and the like

8
General Structure Discussions

• 501 c(3) ?
• Interest group under organization like MARC?
• One of the next steps we need to decide