Exploring Food Policy and Food Policy Councils

How do we give the power to the people? Grass root approaches can be empowering and also efficient in creating environments that foster economic and social growth. Still, most government programs are surrounded by lobbyists and interests groups that are heavily reluctant to change, even if it yields positive outcomes. Winne, in his article explains the importance of grass roots: “an informed and activated citizenry, one that speaks for the grass roots first and foremost, is necessary to secure lasting change in this country.” Thus, it is imperative to provide transparency and authority from the bottom down and avoid shackling policies by few individuals.

In the food environment, policies can serve as a gateway to assist the needs of a city, whether it be for land use, economy, or most importantly, for the people. Food policy councils (FPCs) can be considered as a grass roots organization if its members are heavily involved in a community, and this council can optimize the use of appropriate policies while adding a source of education pertaining to food issues. Furthermore, FPCs should be transparent and provide open forums for discussion, brainstorming about the different wants and needs of a community’s constituents.

Even when the concept of FPCs sounds ideal, not all communities have them. The connection between officials and citizens may be more distant if such organization is not present and more issues may arise or some may be left unknown. For instance, FPCs can assist communities in maintaining money flux within the local food system, which creates a more sustainable economy and promotes the development of small businesses and local entrepreneurs. It could still happen without the presence of a FPC, but its impact may be of lower magnitude and slower.

Seeing the potential of FPCs, constant dialogue and brainstorming among members can help in researching for useful policies that provide more alternatives for communities to have a better access for food. One scenario could be in taking advantage of government programs such as the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) in addition to private funds, which could function as an incentive for lower income individuals to purchase fresh local food at lower rates that yield better gains to farmers and growers. Another scenario for FPCs can be in having records of food availability across a city, and how it has shaped over the years. Such records could heavily assist in targeting areas with food deserts and developing more concise plans for new developments of food supply and transportation.

If policies can foster change in the way people acquire their food, it could also snowball into reducing health trends that relate to people’s diets. Policy can spearhead the change to U.S’ obesity rates and malnutrition, in addition to shifting low-income people dietary patterns. However, reasoning and experimentation from the government must be included, since funds reallocation should be addressed when exploring such potentials. The benefits that food policies could bring to the country can heavily reduce the high budgets injected in health care and turn them to farmers and people’s mouths, targeting the issue before it actually happens.

What are some other ways Food Policy Councils can benefit communities? Should they be a requirement for all cities to have? How can they become active and strong? Meaning they have a solid presence in voicing over people’s necessities and demands.