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Community
Food Assessment
CFA
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Asked Questions
Policy
Food assessments
are a useful tool to lay the foundation for policy change. If
you want to include a policy component in your community food
assessment, there are several things you will need to consider
early on in the assessment process.
By gathering
facts and learning about the issues from community members you
are prepared to present findings and discuss them in an educated
way.
Policy change will need to take place within a specific political
jurisdiction. So it is helpful if the information you gather
covers the specific geographic area within the political jurisdiction.
Think about which city council district, school district, or
county board of supervisor district you are trying to effect
and how you might fit the project into one of those areas.
Consider
what change you are trying to make-this will determine whom
you target and how you approach the research. Begin by identifying
and proposing policy goals for what you would like to see happen,
keeping in mind the need to design a realistic project.
Consider
who is responsible for the issues you are trying to address.
Some issues are addressed by local government entities such
as city councils and school boards; others are addressed at
a regional, statewide or national level.
- Local government - Land use (community gardens, farmers
markets, grocery stores, fast food), school boards (cafeteria,
school stores, vending machines, after school programs)
- State government - Statewide legislation around the safety
net food system, Farm-to-school, State Food Policy Council,
statewide school food policy.
- Federal government - Agriculture and nutrition policy.
Contact policy makers ahead of time and let them know about the
assessment project and some of the issues you are hoping to address.
This will help you to build relationships with them and to put
the issues on their radar screen. Consider inviting them to meetings
and sending them information about the project as it becomes available.
Some other strategies to consider when including policy in your
assessment:
Translating observations into recommendations: Every assessment
project makes observations about food in a community. Using those
observations to make recommendations on needed changes can lead
to public policy changes.
Taking policy action: Once you have completed your assessment
and are developing an action plan and next steps, consider including
a few short-term initiatives to gain results fast and keep people
involved.
Form a Food Policy Council: A food policy council can be an
excellent way to build a broader movement to achieve long-term
results. A food policy council is an organized group of community
members, business people, farmers, advocates, and other stakeholders
in the food system. The food policy council can be connected to
a city or local government body or it can be an independent group.
Some of the issues that a food policy council can address include:
- Community gardens
- School food
- Food access
- Food stamps
- Fast food zoning
Some potential benefits of including policy in your food assessment:
- Development of solid policy that has support of the community
- Direct connection between identified issues and policies
- Education about policy process
- Education about nutrition and physical activity issues
- Increased visibility of food issues
- Increased networking and partnerships
- Leadership development
- Skill building
Some resources on food policy councils include:
Some resources on food policy in California include:
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