Oakland Food Policy Council

Oakland needs a food policy council to bring together the many stakeholders in Oakland's food system, then help build the relationships and political will needed to make the food system equitable and sustainable.

The Oakland Food System Assessment recommended the creation of an Oakland Food Policy Council, saying:

"The food system in Oakland involves a variety of actors with various interests and stakes in how food is produced, processed, distributed, consumed, and wasted. These actors span across sectors, across city, regional, and even international boundaries, and have deeply interconnected implicit and explicit relationships with one another. These dynamic relationships are represented in public policy decisions, private and other non-governmental activities, and in the end consumer who makes daily decisions on food choices...

"...There is great concern among segments of the Oakland community about the outcomes produced by the current food system, and this is reflected in the numerous initiatives...that are at work in the City to address issues of access to and quality of food, nutrition education, the local economy as it relates to food, and food waste.

"While the intentions of the actors are noteworthy, we believe that there is a need to make some of these relationships more explicit in order to better align shared values and interests and to analyze the "tools" that facilitate both desired and undesired outcomes of the food system in Oakland.

"Convening some of these actors, such as health professionals, school officials, waste management companies, large and small food retailers and processors, regional farmers, community- and faith-based organizations, and various City and County staff in the form of a food policy council could be the first step toward a comprehensive, sustainable food policy and plan for Oakland. A food policy council could broaden the discussion of food, provide an ongoing comprehensive examination of the City's food system, and increase communication and understanding between citizens and the City government."