Across the country, local communities are establishing food policy councils (FPCs) or other bodies, such as a local task force or committee, to create a space for diverse representatives and stakeholders from across a local or regional food system to come together and identify and prioritize needs, identify policy solutions, and coordinate and implement action. If your city does not yet have a local food policy council, consider reaching out to others who might be interested in starting one.

About Food Policy Councils

Food policy councils often include representatives from the key sectors of a food system—production, processing, distribution, retail and consumption, and recovery/disposal—as well as advocates, organizations, local residents, workers, and others who are interested in aligning policy efforts. FPCs are often initiated through a government or public process, such as a resolution, executive order, or act, and thus are often connected to the local, city, regional, or state jurisdiction. FPCs play an important role of educating and offering recommendations to policymakers.

The John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future has developed a Food Policy Networks project with helpful resources to learn about your FPC and others from across the country. Check out the following:

• Go to the Food Policy Council Directory to find information and contacts for your local FPC.
• Use the Food Policy Council Map to access GIS technology to show the location of FPCs in the United States and Canada.
• Go the Food Policy Council Evaluation Toolkit which offers assessment tools to gauge FPCs' capacity to support advocacy and policy efforts.
• Resources on Community Engagement in FPCs, including:
  • Inclusive Community Organizations: A Toolkit (2004)
  • Food Policy for All: Inclusion of Diverse Community Residents on Food Policy Councils (2014)
  • The Politics of Community Engagement: How to Involve Community in Needed Food Policy Reform (2014)
  • Food Policy FAQs: Recruiting Food Insecure and Low Income Residents to FPCs (2014)
• Use this link to search other Food Policy Council resources, including reports and training tools using data from the John Hopkin's Center’s annual survey of FPCs.