New Haven Food Policy Council
"The New Haven Food Policy Council will present its Policy Paper on school food at the Greater New Haven Childhood Obesity Summit on May 22. Click here to download the flyer!"
- New Haven Food Policy Council
- 2008 Meeting Dates, Agendas, and Minutes
- Current Food Policy Council Issues
- Reports and Documents
- Community Food Security Resources and Links
- Citations
1. New Haven Food Policy Council
Promoting Community Food Security in New Haven
Wouldn’t it be wonderful for all residents of New Haven to have access to healthy, local and affordable food that is grown, processed and distributed in a manner that promotes community and environmental well-being? Wouldn’t it make good sense to link up experts in public health, nutrition and educational curriculum development to create a comprehensive plan to promote healthy eating habits to the city’s youth and families? Wouldn’t it be ideal if New Haven public schools served apples from local orchards every fall? Wouldn’t the local economy benefit from a food system that relies on food grown and produced locally? The New Haven Food Policy Council is assembled to improve the level of community food security and the quality of the local food system in our city.
“Community food security” is typically defined as “a condition in which all community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community self-reliance and social justice.1” A “community food system” can be described as “a collaborative effort to promote sustainable food production, processing, distribution and consumption in order to enhance the environmental, economic and social health of a particular place.2”
What is a Food Policy Council?
A food policy council works to strengthen the local food system by connecting its various sectors. The local food system is the network of entities that encompasses everything about the production and consumption of food, including farms, distributors, retail stores, and emergency service providers. Since access to and distribution of food is an important part of the food system, the public sector, including such transportation systems and schools, also play an important role. A food policy council encourages networking between these sectors and develops methods for greater collaboration on projects and programs related to food issues.
Food policy councils are made up of a diverse group of people representing different sectors of the community food system. Membership often includes grocers, restaurant owners, chefs, anti-hunger advocates, farmers, wholesalers and distributors, food processors, government employees, environmentalists, school system representatives, non-profit employees, community and religious leaders, scholars and concerned citizens. Prior to the creation of the New Haven Food Policy Council, there was no single locus of activity to connect these efforts and encourage collaborative, far-reaching problem solving.
What are the advantages of having such a council be a part of city government?
“City government can be an important ally in strengthening our local food system. Local governments command significant resources, have mandates to address social and environmental issues, and provide opportunities for citizen involvement. City policies profoundly shape local food production and distribution, in ways that include the locations of supermarkets, the availability of land for urban agriculture and the delivery of nutrition education.3”
Creating a food policy council as part of local government has the advantage of leveraging additional resources and gaining audience with local policy makers by formalizing a mechanism of communication between them and the council, and demonstrating the commitment of the city to tackle these critical issues.
Structure and Goals of the Council
The Council was created by City Ordinance on May 12, 2005 and is defined in § 14-41 of the Municipal Code.
For a list of current members, please click here
As established by the Board of Aldermen, the New Haven Food Policy Council is composed of eleven members; ten appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Board of Alderman, and one Aldermanic representative elected by the Board of Alderman
The Council may recommend prospective appointees to the Mayor and Board of Alderman. The ten members of the council appointed by the Mayor shall include:
- one member of the department or organization administering the council
- six members of the community personally engaged in the production and distribution of food, or in the effects of food on the local economy and health of city residents. Members may be chosen from the following fields: hunger relief, nutrition, businesses in the food sector, farming, and institutional food management
- three members selected from the public at large
Additionally, for the Council’s initial formation, two temporary members will also be appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Board of Alderman for a one-time, three-year term, to participate in the establishment of council goals and objectives. The two temporary members of the council shall include:
- one member of the community personally engaged in food production, distribution, or in the effects of food on the local economy and health of city residents
- one member selected from the public at large
SHORT-TERM GOALS of the Council
- Create a strong Food Policy Council of diverse membership
- Reach out to various food system experts within the community to help inform the Council on the unique landscape of the New Haven’s food-related resources and how they are connected
- Engage and collaborate with community stakeholders on issues relating to the food system and community food security
- Begin to develop a network linking different sectors of the food system
- Identify policies that affect our local food system
- Identify existing resources and programs that strengthen our local food system
- Identify gaps in resources and programs and explore ways to fill in those gaps
LONG-TERM GOALS of the Council
- Educate the public about the New Haven food system and issues that affect our security, safety, nutrition and health, and economy
- Strengthen networks and links between different sectors of the food system
- Provide policy makers with guidance as to how legislation and policy affects the food system
- Seek funding for projects, project partners and possible collaborators for priority projects to fill in resource and program gaps
Contacting the Council
The New Haven Food Policy Council welcomes input from the public. Please send inquiries to:
New Haven Food Policy Council
c/o CitySeed, Inc.
P.O. Box 2056
New Haven CT 06521
Phone: 203.773.3736
Email: Please visit CitySeed’s website to contact Benjamin Gardner, the Council’s Administrator, via email.
2. 2008 Meeting Dates/Agendas and Minutes
The New Haven Food Policy Council generally meets on the fourth Thursday of every month from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at City Hall (see schedule below for actual meeting times, agendas, and minutes).
Thursday, January 24, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM, City Hall
Thursday, February 28, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM, City Hall
Thursday, March 27, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM, City Hall
Thursday, April 24, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM, City Hall
Thursday, May 22, 7:45 AM – 1:00 PM, Greater New Haven Childhood Obesity Summit, 300 George Street
Thursday, June 26, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM, City Hall
Thursday, August 28, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM, City Hall
Thursday, September 25, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM, City Hall
Thursday, October 23, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM, City Hall
Thursday, November 20, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM, City Hall
Thursday, December 18, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM, City Hall
2007 Agendas & Minutes: January, February, March, April, May, June, September, October, November, December.
3. Current Food Policy Council Issues
In its initial year, the New Haven Food Policy Council has identified childhood nutrition and school food as issues of significant interest. The Council is currently working with the Legal Services Organization of Yale Law School to prepare a policy paper that it plans to release in May 2008..
4. Reports and Documents
Greater New Haven Childhood Obesity Summit
2007 Annual Report to New Haven Board of Alderman
The Connecticut Landscape: Food Resources and Services – 2007
A Town-Level Assessment Of Community Food Security In Connecticut – 2005 (Hartford Food System, CT Food Policy Council, and UCONN College of Agricultural and Natural Resources)
What’s Cookin’ in Connecticut Schools: Ideas for Healthy Kids and Healthy Schools – 2003 (CT Food Policy Council)
Ordinance Establishing the New Haven Food Policy Council
5. Community Food System Resources and Links
Local
Wellness Committee/School Food Subcommittee
CitySeed and City Farmers’ Markets
CT Food Bank
Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen
Emergency Food Council of Greater New Haven
New Haven Ecology Project and Common Ground High School
New Haven Land Trust/Community Gardens
Regional Growth Partnership
Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity
Yale Sustainable Food Project
Yale Office of Sustainability
State/Regional
Connecticut Farmland Trust
CT NOFA – Connecticut Northeast Organic Farming Association
Working Lands Alliance
National
Community Food Security Coalition
State and Local Food Policy Project, Drake University Agricultural Law Center
Government
Connecticut Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
Food Policy Councils
Connecticut Food Policy Council
Hartford Food Policy Commission
6. Citations
1 Bellows, A. C. and Hamm, M.W., Local Autonomy and Sustainable Development Testing Import Substitution in Local Food Systems. Agriculture and Human Values Vol. 18, 271-284 (2001).
2 http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cdpp/cfsoverview.htm
3 http://www.portlandonline.com/osd/index.cfm?c=42290&
