Food and Nutrition
DEFINITION/DESCRIPTION
The food system encompasses the production, transportation, sale, consumption, recovery and disposal of food; as well as the structures, policies, goals, and values that accompany each step of the process. Food system challenges and opportunities differ with historic, social, economic, and environmental contexts. Because of the complicated and intertwined nature of the food system, and its overlap with many sectors, a comprehensive food policy agenda is crucial.
CURRENT STATUS
The Baltimore Food Policy Initiative (BFPI), an intergovernmental collaboration led by Baltimore City guides the City’s food systems efforts to refine a food agenda and priorities through sustainability, food access, and economic lenses. BFPI has incorporated food into plans, policies, community-based programming, resources, and incentives. Baltimore City has its own food desert definition, and has conducted extensive food environment mapping and analysis to identify need and better understand how certain populations experience the food environment.
EQUITY INDICATORS
Food system inequities are one symptom of a legacy of structural racism. BFPI works with the Food Policy Action Coalition (Food PAC), a group of 60+ organizations and individuals working on food systems issues. BFPI engages Resident Food Equity Advisors to learn about and provide vision and input to policy and planning strategies. Focusing efforts in food deserts strives to drive attention and investment to the areas that have historically been excluded.
STRATEGIES
1. Understand and create the structural change needed to increase equitable access to healthful food.
Action 1- Continue to implement and adapt the Food Desert Retail Strategy to increase access to healthy affordable food through policy, technical assistance, and incentives for retail of all scales.
Action 2 - Conduct robust research, strategic planning, and policymaking to enhance the food environment in intentional and equitable ways. This includes food environment mapping, national best practice sharing, and resident engagement and decision-making.
Action 3 – Create and implement a comprehensive food plans. Plans may be regional, citywide or neighborhood specific, but should address food retail, food assistance and food production.
2. Reduce food insecurity through policy, programs, and education.
Action 1- Maximize the impact of federal nutrition assistance programs such as SNAP and WIC, and federal meal programs such as school breakfast and lunch, summer meals, and senior Eating Together.
Action 2- Increase food resilience on all scales – household, neighborhood, city, and region – and incorporate food resiliency into the Disaster Preparedness Plan update.
Action 3 – Promote knowledge in all populations of growing, storing, preparing, consuming and disposing healthy food and nutrition, and foster buy-in for healthy food environments.
3. Strengthen and amplify the local food economy.
Action 1 - Leverage the purchasing power of the City and other institutions through Good Food Procurement standards that prioritize healthy, local, and other values-based food.
Action 2- Encourage purchase and consumption of local fresh foods to bolster urban agriculture. Encourage innovative direct to consumer models, aggregation to serve small retailers, and public education campaigns.
Action 3 – Cultivate food-based businesses to circulate local dollars and provide opportunities to marginalized workforce participants. Consider models such as cooperatively-owned or non-profit stores, affordable delivery services, and projects that incubate food-based small businesses, provide job training, and/or offer skills-based employment opportunities.
METRICS FOR SUCCESS
Strategy 1: Increase Healthy Food Availability Index score by 15%, on average, over three years.
Strategy 2: Reduce childhood food insecurity by 5%, over five years.
Strategy 3: Increase the number of local food businesses supported through City-sponsored events and outlets by 25% over three years.
Qualitative: Create and foster a food environment where communities and neighborhoods have the resources and knowledge to achieve self-sufficiency, food sovereignty and resiliency.