Denver Food Action Plan, Denver, Colorado

Jurisdiction Name: Denver
State/Province: CO
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality/County
Population: 600,158
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: plan
Year: 2018
GFC Topic: community food connections, community food production, community food security
Keywords: action plan, collective impact, community engagement, healthy, inclusive, low-income neighborhood, resilient, strategic action plan
Adopting Government Department(s):

Denver City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Denver City Departments
Support Entity(s):

Public and private partners will be identified as more projects are initiated

Funding Amount: n/a
Funding Sources: n/a
Policy Outcome(s):

The Denver Food Action Plan, a supporting document for the city’s food system plan, Denver Food Vision, identifies activities currently led by City agencies and public partners that can build a healthier city. The action plan provides information on ongoing projects, and outlines the intended combined impact of the projects as they relate to larger ‘winnable goals’ of Denver Food Vision. The two projects detailed in the action plan are Denver Food Matters and Denver Food in Communities; both have three-year projected deliverables that started in 2018 and 2019 respectively, as well as intended outcomes and impacts.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

Denver Food Vision, Denver, Colorado

Jurisdiction Name: Denver
State/Province: CO
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality/County
Population: 600,158
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: plan
Year: 2017
GFC Topic: community food connections, community food production, community food security
Keywords: affordable, economic investment, food infrastructure, food production, food system plan, food waste reduction, health promoting, regional economy
Adopting Government Department(s):

Denver City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Denver City Departments
Support Entity(s):

Denver Sustainable Food Policy Council

Funding Amount: n/a
Funding Sources: n/a
Policy Outcome(s):

Denver’s food systems plan, Denver Food Vision, considers and utilizes the city’s consumers, producers, processors, distributors, and retailers to strengthen the relationships for a more inclusive, vibrant, healthy and resilient food system. The plans vision is to foster a common food agenda, develop goals, metrics, and action steps to address critical gaps, stimulate innovation and investments, and leverage existing strengths in the community. Priorities include investing in building community-driven complete neighborhood food environments, improving access to a wide variety of healthy food retail options and ensure affordable food and food education, develop Denver as an epicenter for the regional food economy by supporting Denver food businesses economic strength, preserving regional food systems assets and infrastructure, promoting environmentally regenerative and climate-smart food systems and reducing food waste. Appendix B of the document continues to outline and define focus areas, priorities, strategies and goals. Since its adoption in 2017, Denver has created a three-year Food Action Plan (2018) that outlines specific short-term strategies and implementation plans. Additionally, the project ‘Denver Food Matters,’ addressed in both the food plan and action plan, began its pilot period in 2018.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

D.C. Healthy Schools Act, Title 38, Chapter 8A

Jurisdiction Name: Washington
State/Province: DC
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 601,723
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: act
Year: 2010
GFC Topic: community food connections, community food security
Keywords: access, farm to institution, food purchasing, food purchasing policy, health promoting, healthy, healthy food, local food, local food procurement, local food purchasing, local food system, public funds, school, underserved
Adopting Government Department(s):

District of Columbia Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Support Entity(s):

DC Public schools Office of Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization, District Department of the Environment, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Health, DC Hunger Solutions, Alliance for a Healthier Generation, University of the District of Columbia, Friends of Choice in Urban Schools (FOCUS)

Funding Amount: n/a
Funding Sources: Kaiser Permanente, Thrive, Walmart, USDA, Stop & Shop Giant Family Foundation, Action for Healthy Kids,
Policy Outcome(s):

The act creates a number of programmatic and policy solutions to combat health issues stemming from hunger, poor nutrition, poor environment, and inadequate physical activities. All of these changes are made at the school level, and the act requires both public and charter schools in DC to participate.
All schools now offer free breakfast to all students and free lunch to students who previously qualified for reduced-price lunch. In addition, alternative serving models such as breakfast in the classroom and carts are made available to schools. School Nutrition is a priority and funding is made available to schools to meet the federal school nutrition requirements. In addition, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and milk are prioritized daily in the school lunch programs.
Farm to School programming is a key element of the Healthy Schools Act. Locally-grown, unprocessed food purchases are prioritized and incentivized in the act. Locally grown food is defined as from Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and North Carolina. In addition, sustainable growing practices are encouraged by farms that the food is sourced from and participation in Farm to School education programs annually are required. Health Education is expanded at the elementary and middle school levels to 75 minutes per week and students must have adequate personal health knowledge by the end of the year. Schools are encouraged to “go green”: expand environmental education and develop school gardens where students can grow, sell and consume food grown by them. In addition, compost piles, technical assistance and documentation of the program are required as a part of education. Competitive Foods such as those from vending machines or snack bars have specific nutrition requirements that raise the requirements on fat, sugar, and sodium in those products. Lastly, Health and Wellness is comprehensive goal for schools to encourage healthy eating through the programs previously mentioned, and requires the presence of a school health center with staff and adherence to federal and district guidelines. In addition, a tobacco-free school campus is required.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

City of Portland and Multnomah County Climate Action Plan

Jurisdiction Name: Multnomah County
State/Province: OR
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality/County
Population: 790,294
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: plan
Year: 2009
GFC Topic: community food production
Keywords: advisory group, agriculture, development, food access, food distribution, food infrastructure, food procurement, food production, food purchasing, food security, food system, food system metrics, food waste, land use, local food, reporting, rural agriculture, sustainability
Adopting Government Department(s):

City of Portland, Multnomah County

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Multnomah County Office of Sustainability
Support Entity(s):

City of Portland Office of Planning and Sustainability

Funding Amount: N/A
Funding Sources: N/A
Policy Outcome(s):

Work to reestablish funding to the Oregon State University Extension Service for educational opportunities; integrate sustainable food system issues into planning process for Multnomah Food Initiative; encourage local food production, providing incentives and removing regulatory obstacles; develop policy and provide programmatic resources to increase percentage of home-grown and locally-sourced foods; promote consideration of carbon emissions related to food procution, transportation, use and disposal as cirteria for purchasing decisions; prepare and assessment of climate-related vulnerabilities, strengths and resiliency of local food to better understand likely impacts of climate change.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1Link 2

Farmers’ Markets Ordinance No. 29-07

Jurisdiction Name: San Francisco City and County
State/Province: CA
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality/County
Population: 827,420
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: PDF
Policy type: ordinance
Year: 2007
GFC Topic: community food connections
Keywords: SNAP, WIC, access, buy local, farmers market, food access, food assistance, food retail, food security, food stamps, local, local food, low-income, needs assessment, retail, underserved, vulnerable population
Adopting Government Department(s):

City and County of San Francisco Board of Supervisors

Lead Implementing Entity(s): San Francisco Agricultural Commissioner, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, San Francsico Department of Public Health
Support Entity(s):

San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, San Francisco Department of Public Health

Funding Amount:
Funding Sources:
Policy Outcome(s):

Authorized farmers’ markets to be located on Recreation and Park Commission land under the rules and regulations of the Agricultural Commissioner; established terms and conditions for permission to sell at a farmers’ market; required farmers’ markets to accept federal, state or local food assistance programs’ forms of payment; required an annual needs assessment of neighborhoods that could support additional farmers’ markets without impact viability of locally owned businesses, with an emphasis on underserved neighborhoods

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

Amendment to Portland City Code, Chapter 33 (Minimum Wage)

Jurisdiction Name: Portland
State/Province: ME
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 66,649
Population Range: 50,000 to 249,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: legislation and regulations
Year: 2015
GFC Topic: community food security
Keywords: amendment, employment, food security, minimum wage, ordinance, poverty reduction
Adopting Government Department(s):

Portland City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Portland City Council
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount: n/a
Funding Sources: n/a
Policy Outcome(s):

Beginning on January 1, 2016, the regular Minimum Wage for all Employees, including, but not limited to, Service Employees, shall be raised to $10.10 per hour. The minimum wage will increase to $10.68/hr on 1/1/17, and beginning on 7/1/18, the minimum wage will be increased annually in accordance to the Consumer Price Index. One purpose for the minimum wage raise: more than 50 percent of Portland public school students are eligible for free lunch, meaning their families have incomes at between 100 percent and 185 percent of the Federal poverty level, which is higher than what a single parent with one child in school would earn with a full-time minimum wage job

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

Community Health Improvement Plan, City of Austin and Travis County, Texas

Jurisdiction Name: Austin
State/Province: TX
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality/County
Population: 950,715
Population Range: 250,000 to 999,999
Policy Links: WebPDF
Policy type: plan
Year: 2018
GFC Topic: community food connections, community food security
Keywords: city, community health, culturally appropriate, food access, health, health promotion, healthy eating, healthy food access
Adopting Government Department(s):

Austin City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Austin Public Health (formerly City of Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services)
Support Entity(s):

Austin Transportation Department; Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro); Central Health; Integral Care; Seton Healthcare Family; St. David’s Foundation; Travis County Health and Human Services; The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School; The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health in Austin

Funding Amount: n/a
Funding Sources: n/a
Policy Outcome(s):

This plan provides the City of Austin and Travis County with a framework to comprehensively improve the health and well-being of residents in upcoming years. In order to develop the plan, Austin Department of Public Health conducted a Community Health Assessment, which consisted of focus groups, community interviews, and key informant meetings, to develop a comprehensive plan to address the health-related experiences and challenges faced by residents in the two counties. Utilizing the social determinants of health framework, the plan addresses four priority areas: access to and affordability of health care; chronic disease; sexual health; and stress, mental health, and well-being. Further, the plan identified various challenges related to food, such as lack of access to healthy and culturally appropriate food, food marketing, and lack of healthy food retailers. These challenges were primarily addressed in the chronic disease priority area, in which specific action items include: the development of nutrition classes for residents; the implementation of workshops and other educational strategies in schools, community centers, and after-school programs; the creation of a healthy marketing campaign by local organizations; the conversion of city space to increase green areas and other recreational facilities; supporting ongoing efforts to increase transportation access to healthy retail sites; and ongoing data collection to more fully understand the assets and adaptations utilized by residents to obtain healthy and culturally appropriate food.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

The Philadelphia Code, Title 14

Jurisdiction Name: Philadelphia
State/Province: PA
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 1,526,006
Population Range: 1 million or more
Policy Links: Web
Policy type: bill
Year: 2012
GFC Topic: community food production
Keywords: CSA, access, agriculture, animal husbandry, animals, community garden, community supported agriculture, community supported farm, farm, farming, food access, food infrastructure, food production, food system, fruit, greenhouse, horticulture, infrastructure, land use, nursery, production, urban, urban agriculture, urban farming, vegetables, zoning, zoning code
Adopting Government Department(s):

Philadelphia City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): Philadelphia City Planning Commission
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount: The zoning commission had a budget of $500,000 a year from FY9-FY12
Funding Sources: not available
Policy Outcome(s):

Bill repealed and replaced Title 14 of the Philadelphia Code (Zoning and Planning); new zoning code recognizes four subcategories of urban agriculture including animal husbandry, community garden, market or community-supported farm, and horticulture nurseries and greenhouses (see Zoning Code Chapter 14-601.11); permits urban agriculture and community gardens as-of right in most residential and commercial districts; permits animal husbandry in most industrial districts; allows the square footage of fresh food markets to not count against the maximum buildable area for development projects.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

Keeping of Miniature Goats, Sec. 4-9

Jurisdiction Name: Charlottesville
State/Province: VA
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 43,475
Population Range: 1 million or more
Policy Links: Web
Policy type: ordinance
Year: 2010
GFC Topic: community food production
Keywords: agriculture, animals, backyard animals, food production, goats, land use, local food, local food production, urban, urban agriculture
Adopting Government Department(s):

Charlottesville City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): n/a
Support Entity(s):

n/a

Funding Amount: n/a
Funding Sources: n/a
Policy Outcome(s):

This ordinance permits a maximum of three miniature goats on any residential zoning district in the city. The only other restrictions are that males must be neutered and goats must be dehorned.  Nursing off-spring may be kept until they are twelve weeks old, and are not included in the number of goats allowed.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1

Keeping of Honeybees, Ordinance No. 12-00035

Jurisdiction Name: Madison
State/Province: WI
Country: United States
Type of Government: Municipality
Population: 233,209
Population Range: 50,000 to 249,999
Policy Links: Web
Policy type: ordinance
Year: 2012
GFC Topic: community food production
Keywords: agriculture, bees, food production, honeybee permit, honeybees, honeybees permit, land use, local, urban agriculture, zoning
Adopting Government Department(s):

Madison City Council

Lead Implementing Entity(s): City of Madison, WI Treasurer's Office
Support Entity(s):

City of Madison Department of Planning and Community and Economic Development

Funding Amount: n/a
Funding Sources: n/a
Policy Outcome(s):

The city of Madison updated their code of ordinances and zoning code to allow for beekeeping in the city. There are a number of restrictions related to the keeping of honeybees, including a limit of 6 hives on a lot, not exceeding 20 cubic feet in volume. In addition, hives must be at least 3 feet from any property line, 10 feet from a sidewalk, and 25 feet from a principal building on an abutting lot. In addition, the owner, operator, or tenant of the hive must obtain a permit annually for $10. It is allowed in all zones but manufacturing, office, and exclusively commercial districts.

Additional Resources and Information: Link 1