Oakland Seeds Food Policy Council

Oakland City Council approved $50,000 in funding to seed an Oakland Food Policy Council on Tuesday, December 19th, continuing the growing effort to evolve Oakland into the country's most sustainable city.

The Food Policy Council will be tasked with recommending and advocating policies and programs to Oakland City Council that help create a more sustainable and localized food system, eliminate the root-causes of hunger and increase the number of food-sector living-wage jobs in Oakland.

The idea of a Food Policy Council was recommended by Oakland's Food System Assessment, a report commissioned by the Oakland Mayor's Office of Sustainability and authored by graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley.

"There is a growing need for cities to think about how local policy can support healthier, more sustainable and vibrant communities," said one of the Food Systems Assessment authors, Ms. Heather Wooten. "Food policy councils can help promote and coordinate systemic changes."

Oakland Unified School District wellness coordinator, Ms. Nora Cody, also expressed her support for the Food Policy Council. "Oakland's children and families will benefit from an increase in locally-sourced food, which helps our economy and our environment. The work of the Food Policy Council fits in well with our efforts to create and develop more school gardens, support farm-to-school programs, and teach children about the relationships between the earth, the environment, and their food."

The Food Policy Council will be comprised of members of the business community, community organizations, rural and regional organizations, health and education, and City staff.

A copy of the Oakland Food System Assessment can be found at www.oaklandfoodsystem.pbwiki.com. Copies of the Food Policy Council resolution and agenda report can be found by clicking here.