GOOD LAWS, GOOD FOOD

GOOD LAWS, GOOD FOOD:

PUTTING LOCAL FOOD POLICY TO WORK FOR OUR COMMUNITIES

July 2012

WRITTEN BY

THE HARVARD LAW SCHOOL FOOD LAW AND POLICY CLINIC

UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF

EMILY BROAD LEIB

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

THE COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY COALITION

Cover photos courtesy of Emma Kravet

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................. 1

About This Toolkit............................................................................................................................................... 2 About The Authors.............................................................................................................................................. 4

SECTION I: GENERAL LEGAL SETTING......................................................................................... 5

Overview............................................................................................................................................................... 5 Federalism and the Interplay of Federal, State, Local, and Tribal Law........................................................ 5 How Local Government Gets the Power to Act.............................................................. ................................. 7 Other Checks on Local Government: General State Laws and State Preemption....................................... 10 The Role of Local, State and Federal Law on Sample Food Policies............................................................. 11 Understanding How Your Local Government Is Organized.......................................................................... 13 Partnering with Local Government and Local Agencies................................................................................ 14 Community Food System Assessments............................................................................................................. 17

SECTION II: FOOD SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE............................................................................ 19

Overview.............................................................................................................................................................. 19 Production........................................................................................................................................................... 19 Processing............................................................................................................................................................ 20 Aggregation and Distribution............................................................................................................................ 22 Retail.................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Food Waste.......................................................................................................................................................... 26 Using the Food System to Foster Economic Development.............................................................................. 28

SECTION III: LAND USE REGULATION......................................................................................... 30

Overview.............................................................................................................................................................. 30 Basic Concepts of Land Use Regulation........................................................................................................... 30 Comprehensive Plans.......................................................................................................................................... 33 Zoning Primer..................................................................................................................................................... 36 Improving Local Food........................................................................................................................................ 39 Protecting Agricultural Land............................................................................................................................ 44 Summary.............................................................................................................................................................. 45

SECTION IV: URBAN AGRICULTURE............................................................................................. 46

Overview.............................................................................................................................................................. 46 Zoning for Urban Agriculture........................................................................................................................... 47 Allocating Resources for Urban Agriculture................................................................................................... 54 Urban & Ecological Health................................................................................................................................ 61

SECTION V: CONSUMER ACCESS.................................................................................................. 63

Overview.............................................................................................................................................................. 63

Bringing Healthy Food to the Community...................................................................................................... 63 Bringing the Community to Healthy Food...................................................................................................... 71

SECTION VI: SCHOOL FOOD & NUTRITION EDUCATION............................................................ 73

Overview.............................................................................................................................................................. 73 School Procurement Policies.............................................................................................................................. 74 School Breakfast.................................................................................................................................................. 77 Food Education Initiatives................................................................................................................................. 79 Improving the School Lunch Period................................................................................................................. 80 School Wellness Policies..................................................................................................................................... 82

SECTION VII: ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY...................................................................... 84

Overview.............................................................................................................................................................. 84 Local Purchasing................................................................................................................................................. 85 Sustainable Agricultural Practices.................................................................................................................... 85 Food Waste Disposal........................................................................................................................................... 86 Sustainability Plans............................................................................................................................................. 87

SECTION VIII: RESOURCES.......................................................................................................... 88 APPENDICES................................................................................................................................... 94

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, more and more Americans have been sitting down to the dinner table and wondering "What am I eating, and why?" Thinking through these questions quickly leads to a set of questions about our broader food system: the national, state, and local networks and processes that create and transport food to our plates. This look into the national and global food structures, recently undertaken by an increasing number of Americans, often points to some disconcerting conclusions regarding the impacts of the current system on our health, our environment, our national and local economies, and the welfare of our food and farm workers, as well as our animals and livestock. This exploration of what ends up on our plates exposes a set of processes that is likely unsustainable for the long term. Recognizing the environmentally damaging practices, inequitable distribution of healthy foods, and lack of opportunity for civic engagement in the current model of food production and consumption, individuals and communities have begun to search for methods to reverse these trends.

In response to the increasing interest in the production of food in this country, citizens and communities have come together to forge responses aiming to strengthen local and regional food systems. A key element of this new organizing around the topic of food has been the formation of state and local food policy councils. A food policy council provides a unique forum for diverse stakeholders to come together and address common concerns about food policy, including topics such as food security, farm policy, food regulations, environmental impacts, health, and nutrition. Stakeholders generally include a range of people such as farmers, city and state officials, non-profit organizations, chefs, food distributors, food justice advocates, educators, health professionals, and concerned citizens. With the lack of government agencies (at any level of government) devoted to the sole task of regulating and improving food policy, food policy councils have emerged as innovative and much-needed mechanisms to identify and advocate for food system change.

Over the past few years, the number of local and state food policy councils has ballooned. According to the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC), the number has nearly doubled, increasing from around 111 food policy councils in 2010 to 193 councils in 2012.1 The proliferation of food policy councils has been incredibly exciting, as they have proven their ability to serve as representative and effective coalitions to advocate for healthy, environmentally sustainable, and economically and socially just food policies. Food policy councils have been quite successful at strengthening connections between various stakeholders, researching and reporting on food policy issues, educating and promoting awareness, and impacting food law and policy change.

However, once created, food policy councils often find themselves overwhelmed when attempting to identify the specific laws and regulations that impact their food policy goals, analyze these laws and policies, and ascertain the legal or policy levers that can be used to improve outcomes. This toolkit was created to provide a starting place for food policy councils to understand the basic legal concepts surrounding local food systems, develop a base of knowledge about the main policy areas, and discover examples and innovations from other cities and states. As described below, this toolkit is the first part of a two-part series, the second of which will focus on state-level food law and policy recommendations. As individuals and organizations seek to inform and influence food law and policy in their city, county, or state, we hope these toolkits will help provide a starting place for their endeavors.

1 E-mail from Mark Winne, Director of the CFSC Food Policy Council Program (June 25, 2012, 11:26 EST) (on file with author).

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