Food Policy 101
Worldwide, growing inequalities, conflict, and climate change are exacerbating hunger and nutritional security at a global scale. According to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 1, “End Poverty In All Its Forms”, the number of people that are “working poor” rose for the first time in 20 years.
Globally, inequality, conflict, and climate change are deepening hunger and food insecurity. The number of “working poor” rose for the first time in 20 years, and as of 2020, 1 in 3 people worldwide lacked access to adequate food. These challenges are pushing policymakers to recognize how deeply food security is connected to healthcare, education, clean water, transportation, and access to affordable energy.
Because food touches every part of society, food policy is one of the most powerful tools for creating broad, systemic change. It shapes what we eat, how food and animals are raised, which pesticides and fertilizers are used, who can access farmland and loans, and how much support programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) provide to those in need.
Nationally, the Farm Bill is the backbone of U.S. food policy. Originally created to stabilize agriculture against weather and market fluctuations, federal farm policy evolved significantly following the agricultural crisis of the 1930s, expanding to include conservation efforts, farm support programs, and nutrition assistance. Over time, changes in agricultural policy and markets contributed to the growth of large-scale industrial farming and the decline of many small farms. Today’s Farm Bill is a sprawling package covering nutrition programs, grants, research, rural development, infrastructure, conservation, crop insurance, and support for agricultural producers, with SNAP and crop insurance among its largest components.
Food Policy on the Southcoast
While the work of the food system stakeholders (production, aggregation and distribution, food access and consumption, food recovery, and food waste) continues, the Southcoast Food Policy Council, working in multiple coalitions, creates and supports policies that ensure all residents have equal access to culturally appropriate, nutrient-dense foods.
Locally, the Southcoast Food Policy Council works across coalitions to advance policies that ensure equitable access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food. Current priorities include:
- Permanent funding for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP)
- Permanent funding for Farm to School Grants
- Equity in agriculture
- The Food Literacy Bill
- Donation of food to people in need
- Basic needs assistance for Massachusetts immigrant residents
- Massachusetts food system budget priorities that support and strengthen our local food system
- National policies that directly impact the food system, such as the Congressional Farm Bill
Building a resilient, equitable food system—one that helps mitigate climate change and ensures access to safe, nutritious food—remains an urgent priority.
As Dr. Mark Hyman puts it: “The policies and industry interests that drive our current system must change to fix our broken food system from field to fork and beyond. If we were to identify one big lever to pull to improve global health, create economic abundance, reduce social injustice and mental illness, restore environmental health, and reverse climate change, it would be transforming our entire food system. That is the most important work of our time—work that must begin now.”
Become a “Food Citizen” and work with us to advocate for a robust food system that employs local people, improves people’s health in our region, and ensures nutritional security for all of us by joining our advocacy network at sfpc@marioninstitue.org. We advocate by sending letters to legislators, providing food policy education in the community, testimony in hearings, and convening meetings with legislators. Learn more about the food system by investigating these resources.
Resources
- United National Sustainable Development Goals
- Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future food system educational tool
- Neff, Roni (editor). “Introduction to the US Food System: Public Health, Environment, and Equity” Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. 2015 Published by Jossey-Bass.
- 2021 Southcoast Food System Assessment
- “Introduction to the Food System” certificate from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Massachusetts Food System Collaborative
- Food Research and Action Center
