Resource Library
Browse 100+ resources on food systems law and policy.
Optimizing Food Distributor Contracts to Achieve Local Food Procurement Targets
Throughout the US, state and local governments have established local food purchasing targets for food served in public institutions like schools, hospitals, or prisons. This guide offers public sector procurement teams options and strategies to adjust their contracting processes with food distributors to support these policy aims.
Topic: Institutional Procurement Policy, Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersState and Local Government Policy Options to Increase Procurement of Locally Grown Cultural Foods in Maui County, Hawai’i, and Beyond
This issue brief explores legislative policy opportunities at the state and local government level to increase the procurement of locally grown foods that hold cultural significance for groups of individuals who share a common cultural bond.
Topic: Institutional Procurement Policy, Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Consumers, Policymakers, Processors & Distributors, ResearchersBoston’s Good Food Purchasing Policy, Part 2
This case study examines how the Boston's largest food purchaser, Boston Public Schools, has updated its procurement process according to the Good Food Purchasing Policy.
Topic: Farm Bill, Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Consumers, Policymakers, ResearchersWhat is Food Policy?
This resource provides an overview of local, state, and federal laws and regulations that impact every sector of the food system.
Topic: Farmland Access, Healthy Food Access, Urban Agriculture Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersZoning for Urban Agriculture
This guide includes a range of examples from cities across the country showing how zoning can support urban agriculture and provides action steps for changing zoning laws to better support urban agriculture.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersFood and Nutrition Policy at the Local Level
This report identifies recent themes and trends in U.S. laws and executive orders at the local government level that relate to improving food access and other aspects of food and nutrition security, as well as emerging priority areas that may affect this area of policymaking in the future.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersLocal Policy to Promote Healthy Food Access: A Food Systems Framework
This resource shows the range of policy options for communities seeking to increase access to healthy food and gives examples of local laws and comprehensive plans that promote access to healthy food at various points along the food system.
Topic: Farm Bill, Farmworkers, Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersThe 2023 Farm Bill: FBLE Recommendations Overview
The Farm Bill Law Enterprise undertook a multi-year process identify legislative opportunities to advance shared public values through the farm bill in response to challenges in addressing the climate crisis, strengthening the U.S. food system, advancing equity and racial justice, stabilizing the food sector economy, and improving access to nutritious food. This document provides an overview of FBLE’s 2023 Farm Bill recommendations.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersLocal Planning and the Food System
This resource discusses how community planners can use existing and innovative tools to support and build local and regional food systems with a goal of increasing access to healthy food and presents some ideas about gaps and opportunities for improvement.
Topic: Farmland Access, Healthy Food Access, Urban Agriculture Audience: Community Organizations, Growers, Policymakers, ResearchersGrowing Food Where You Live
This resource discusses the different legal obstacles to growing food for those who rent their home, lease the land they live on, or live in common interest communities, and provides examples of local laws that support growing food where you live.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Attorneys, Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersPolicy Drafting Companion Guide
This resource introduces common elements of laws and offers recommended practices in the drafting process for those who may be exploring or entering the world of local policymaking, as well as those who want to advocate for healthy food access policies.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, PolicymakersAuthentic Resident Engagement in Action: Hartford, CT
This interview with a community advisory coordinator involved in healthy food access work in Hartford, Connecticut, shows what authentic resident engagement can look like in action.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, PolicymakersFood Access Policy Change Through Authentic Resident Engagement
This resource provides a definition of "authentic resident engagement" and describes working principles to be used throughout the policy development process.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersLocal Government Policies to Support Food Access During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Index
This sortable index includes formal municipal policies that accelerated, prioritized, or facilitated food access during the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergency periods through measures that exceeded ordinary non-emergency-time policies and/or specifically prioritized health and/or equity considerations.
Topic: Healthy Food Access, Resilience Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersMunicipal Policies to Support Food Access During Emergencies
This resource discusses food access challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic and examines trends in local government policies addressed these challenges while prioritizing health and equity.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersThe Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance
This case study examines the Minneapolis Staple Foods Ordinance which requires licensed grocery stores to carry a minimum level of certain staple foods and includes specific requirements for each mandatory category.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersMunicipal Policy Options for Healthy Food Access in Stores and Restaurants
This resource provides a menu of policy approaches to increase access of healthy food in food stores and restaurants, as well as some new innovations and emerging opportunities.
Topic: Healthy Food Access, Urban Agriculture Audience: Community Organizations, ResearchersHow Fort Worth, TX, Is Using Urban Farming to Improve Healthy Food Access & Economic Development
This case study explains how Fort Worth passed an urban agriculture ordinance to allow urban farming, including aquaponics inside a covered structure, in all zoning districts, as a way to improve access to healthy food.
Topic: Food Safety, Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, ResearchersHow an Academic Partnership and Community Engagement Helped Design a Food Safety Rating System in Seattle & King County
This case study examines how Seattle and King County developed a food safety rating system that improved inspection quality and consistency, addressed equity concerns, and provided consumers with the food safety information they wanted.
Topic: Healthy Food Access, Urban Agriculture Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersPrince George’s County Food Equity Council
This case study discusses how the Prince George's County Food Equity Council pursued multiple policies to address inequities in the food system associated with food swamps and how they uplifted communities' voices in their work.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersState Policy Options to Increase Access to Healthy Food
This resource explores state policy trends and opportunities related to healthy food access, including state administration of SNAP, food sovereignty, food recovery, creating healthier retail food environments, and state procurement of locally grown foods.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersWhere Can I Find Scientific Evidence to Support a Healthy Eating Law or Policy Idea?
This resource provides a list of publicly available sources that collect or provide reviews of scientific research and evidence on the effectiveness of laws and policies (including policy ideas) to promote healthy eating and/or access to healthy food.
Topic: Institutional Procurement Policy, Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersBoston’s Good Food Purchasing Policy, Part 1
This case study examines how Boston passed an ordinance that requires city agencies and departments to use a values-based procurement framework, with a strong emphasis on racial and economic justice.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersState Law Companion
This resource lists and summarizes state laws passed between January 1, 2015, and June 14, 2018, that address access to healthy food access.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, PolicymakersDrafting Definitions in Healthy Food Access Policies
There are several reasons why governments should consider including carefully written definitions with new laws or ordinances. This guide describes what types of terms should be defined and the common practices for drafting good definitions in local laws.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersResolution for a Food Secure San Francisco
This case study examines how the city of San Francisco established the Food Security Task Force to collect data and implement improvements to achieve better food security for its residents, and how they passed a Resolution committing to a food secure and hunger free San Francisco.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, ResearchersHow Siler City, NC, Integrated Healthy Food Access into Pedestrian Planning
This case study examines how Siler City integrated healthy food access into pedestrian planning to improve its infrastructure for pedestrians and ensure that residents were provided safe and convenient access to healthy food opportunities.
Topic: Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, Policymakers, ResearchersHealthy Food Policy Database
This resource is a curated, searchable database of healthy food policies at the local level in the United States.
Topic: Gleaning, Healthy Food Access Audience: Community Organizations, GleanersReducing Food Insecurity and Food Waste Improving the National Framework to Support Gleaning Operations
This report recommends programs and policies that would increase fresh food donations from gleaning organizations to nonprofit distributors.