Local Food Policy
Creating a more vibrant local food system
By making a choice to include more local foods into your diet you are
taking an important step in support of a local food system that can feed
our community while protecting the environment and building a vibrant
local economy. Deeper systemic change will also be necessary to tackle
some of the problems that have been created by our current
highly-industrialized food system.
Read below to learn more about some of the food system policy areas that will require changes in local, state or federal law. The Seattle-King County Acting Food Policy Council is actively engaged in efforts to bring about policy changes in all these areas.
Creating equal access to healthy food
Despite our regional abundance many Western Washington citizens do not have enough to eat. 39% of the hungry people served by Food Lifeline in its Western Washington food banks are children and many of the adults served are among the "working poor." In Washington, more students ate free and reduced-price lunches than those who paid full lunch prices. Food insecurity often means people in our community are faced with choosing between food and heat, rent or medical care.
Some of the key policy changes that can improve healthy food access in our communities are:
- Procurement policies in schools or other large Institutions to increase purchase of local food for school meals.
- Transportation policies that link low income residents with grocery stores
- Land use planning that sets standards for equitable distribution of community gardens.
- Providing the necessary technology for residents to redeem food stamps at farmers markets.
Minimizing food system impacts on climate change
A plate of food travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to fork. The agriculture sector contributes approximately 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions. University of Washington researchers have found:
- The greenhouse gas emissions associated with an apple grown in New Zealand and shipped to Seattle are double that of a Washington apple.
- The climate impact of an Idaho-grown potato is double that of a Washington potato consumed here in Seattle.
Key policies that could help to reduce the climate change impact of the food system include:
- Measures that provide economic incentives and programs to help small and mid size growers to use the most efficient means of transportation and production.
- Programs that create and promote more walk-able and livable communities.
Keeping Food Dollars in the Local Economy
Research con-ducted by Sustainable Seattle indicates that locally directed spending within the Puget Sound Region contributes as much as two to three times more to community in-come than spending at non-local businesses. At farmers markets, for example, for every dollar spent, 62 cents is re-spent locally. For every dollar spent at an average grocery store, 25 cents is re-spent locally compared with 52 cents at a locally-based grocery store. The increase is even greater for locally-based restaurants. For every dollar spent at an average restaurant, 31 cents is re-spent locally compared with 79 cents for locally-based restaurants.
It's also been said that one of the best ways to keep farmland from being developed for commercial use is to expand demand for local-grown produce, creating a higher value for those lands as active farmland.
Some policy measures that would help expand the demand for, and maintain a secure market for local-grown produce are:
- Procurement policies that encourage state and local government agencies to source food directly from local farmers.
- Land use policies that would create permanent locations for area farmers markets.
Take Action
Taking the pledge is a good first step in helping to build a more vibrant and sustainable local food system for our region. There are many important issues that affect the availability of and access to local food. If you would like to get involved further here are a few things you can do to help the cause.
- Ask friends, family and other groups you are associated with to take the pledge. Direct them to the Eat Local Thanksgiving website to learn more.
- Talk to the manager at your local grocery store and ask them to carry more local produce, meats, dairy products, or other locally produced goods.
- Write a letter to your city council, county council or state legislators to let them know that you support policies such as Farm to Institution (i.e. getting local food into school and hospital cafeterias).
- Get involved with the Acting Food Policy Council, Cascade Harvest Coalition, and other groups who are working to strengthen local food systems in Seattle and King County. See more information and contact info on the Get Involved page (hotlink this).
For more information about local efforts to create better local food policies, check out the website of the Seattle-King County Acting Food Policy Council.
