Role of a Food Policy Council: Successful Strategies for Using Policies to Promote Health

Law can present both barriers and opportunities for public health initiatives. Local, state, federal, and tribal laws can impact public health policy development in many ways — both expected and unexpected. Local governments play a pivotal role in ensuring that community members have access to healthy food through local policies.  For example, local governments can change zoning and taxing laws to make it easier to create new grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and community gardens. A community food council examines how the local food system operates, and provides policy recommendations to improve that system. A food council is often made up of a diverse group of stakeholders for the purpose of improving the food environment within a particular community.

The Public Health Law Center provides tailored legal technical assistance that can make the difference between success and failure in using law and policy to improve public health across a community.  The Center has been providing this tailored approach to support the food council work in Minnesota and Kansas communities.  Staff attorneys have assisted in creating government-appointed local food policy councils through resolutions and ordinances and completed policy scans to identify opportunities and barriers to a healthy food system.

The speaker will discuss the role of lawyers providing policy support in the creation and implementation of successful food policy councils and their policy efforts.