Published in:
Exploring food system policy:
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
August 2012
A survey of food policy councils in the United States
Allyson Scherb • Anne Palmer • Shannon Frattaroli • Keshia Pollack
Government Officials
Private sector food
manufacturers
Private citizens
Food
Policy
Councils
How?
Who?
Farmers
Assess community food
strengths and needs
Start new programs
Researchers
Activists
Collect data
Inform/Influence policy
Educate the public
Connect existing efforts
What?
Improve the food system
Spur conversation
What are food policy councils and what do they do?
Food policy councils (FPCs) are becoming more common and active in the U.S., but the public knows
very little about what they do. These coalitions are made up of any combination of policymakers, business
owners, advocates, non-profits, farmers, and concerned citizens. Their goals and methods vary greatly—
there is no cookie-cutter FPC. Some work at the state level, others at the municipal level. Some focus
on creating and changing policy to improve existing food systems, while others work primarily toward
educating the public and getting food system issues on the public agenda. Some FPCs are initiated at the
government level, while others are grassroots initiatives.
Examples of work undertaken by an FPC are: policy changes that improve school lunch menus, funding for a
community garden program, or advocating for better access to healthy food in low-income neighborhoods.
Overall, these councils seek to change food environments, and they emphasize policy and environmental
change instead of behavior change by individuals.
jhsph.edu/clf
JOHNS HOPKINS
CENTER for A LIVABLE FUTURE
Key Findings
Study population of FPCs, by state 2011
• Most FPCs surveyed serve at the
local, institutional, and county
levels.
• FPCs typically build partnerships
with stakeholders; educate the
public; and support or create
programs that address food
system issues.
• Most of the surveyed FPCs (86
percent) reported doing policy
work, including examining
current policies, regulations, and
ordinances related to food, but
the definition of policy varies
greatly across councils.
• The challenges to policy work
cited by surveyed FPCs include:
lack of time; lack of financial
support; lack of policy training
or skills; differences in opinion
among group members; and
issues concerning the group’s
relationship with the government.
Number of Food Policy Councils by State
0
1
2-4
5-8
15
Public Health Concerns
• Understanding and evaluating
the work of FPCs would help
improve the effectiveness of
FPCs, and their role in policy and
the food system.
• FPCs provide a forum for
improving the food system,
ranging from food production to
food access.
Who We Are
Based within the Bloomberg
School of Public Health, The Johns
Hopkins Center for a Livable
Future (CLF) is an academic
center that conducts and promotes
research and communicates
information about the complex
inter-relationships among food
production, diet, environment and
human health.
Study Summary
Researchers emailed a 12-question
survey to all known FPCs and
received responses from 61 percent
of the 92 existing councils. The
survey assessed how the FPCs
engage in policy work and what
barriers prevented them from further
engagement. The research is part of
a larger study exploring FPC policy
activities.
Strategies for Action
• The processes and outcomes of
food policy councils should be
systematically and rigorously
evaluated.
• Evaluation of FPCs will make them
more effective at engaging in policy
and having a positive impact on the
food system.
Abstract available at:
http://www.agdevjournal.com/component/content/article/111-open-callpapers/277-survey-of-food-policy-councils-in-us.html
JOHNS HOPKINS
CENTER for A LIVABLE FUTURE
www.jhsph.edu/CLF • livablefuture
.