The Food Policy Council turns 10!
Celebrating a decade of work to advance a more equitable and resilient food system in the District
DC Council passed the Food Policy Council and Director Establishment Act of 2014 to establish a Food Policy Council to identify regulatory burdens on the local food economy, collect and analyze data on the food economy and food equity, promote positive food policies, and guide organizations and individuals involved in the food economy.
The Act also established a Food Policy Director in the Office of Planning to oversee the Food Policy Council, promote food policy in the District, attract new participants to the local food economy, assist individuals already participating in the local food economy, and achieve the food goals identified in the Sustainable DC plan.
The first Food Policy Director started in 2016, and the first Food Policy Council met in August 2016. Here are some of the major accomplishments of the Food Policy Team and Council since then.
Secured Funding & Co-Developed Major Programs for DC Families and Local Food Businesses
- Brought together DOEE, DMPED, and OP to leverage the $2.4M in Resilient Food System Infrastructure grants for District food system businesses.
- Proposed budget enhancements and co-developed major programs to serve the District, including Nourish DC and the Food Access Fund (with DMPED), the Food Waste Innovation Grants (with DSLBD), and SUN Bucks (with DHS), which collectively brought and distributed more than $200 million in Federal funds to the District.
- Convened the interagency SUN Bucks Working Group – facilitating data sharing, legal agreements, and division of responsibilities between DHS, OSSE, DC Health and the Lab – to take advantage of $80M in federal Summer EBT funds for District families to access food while schools are out of session.
Strengthened Food Response & Crisis Coordination during Emergencies
- Ensured $50M+ in emergency response dollars went to local food businesses for COVID19 food assistance.
- Convened dozens of emergency serving food organizations during the pandemic to promote existing resources and meet food needs of impacted populations – daily for the first few months of the pandemic, and monthly for years to follow
- Partnered with grocery stores and farmers markets to ensure awareness of COVID regulations and created safety guidance for farmers markets to continue operating and providing essential outdoor space for businesses
- Collected and disseminated all governmental and nongovernmental resources for residents during several federal government shutdowns; served as the central referral site for SNAP recipients during the 2025 government shutdown
- Supported food system response during natural disasters, including ensuring farmers markets could operate during the 2026 Snowcrete storm
Expanded Equitable Community Engagement & Cross-sector Collaboration
- Engaged 10,000+ residents in food-focused conversations over the past decade to ensure community voices shaped policy.
- Conducted 50+ trainings across the Wards on existing District programs and resources, in addition to creating and distributing thousands of digital and paper documents outlining District food programs.
- Held regular trainings on the intersection between racial equity and food justice, beginning with 2020 Discussion Series on Race, Racial Equity, and DC’s Food System
- Hosted 60+ full Food Policy Council meetings, averaging 80 residents per meeting
- Facilitated kitchen matchmaking activities in 2019, 2022, and 2025, to connect small food businesses with kitchen spaces in the District, culminating in the 2026 Ward 7 shared kitchen grant for businesses looking for space East of the Anacostia River.
- Worked with vendors in Columbia Heights to understand barriers and support the Columbia Heights Public Life Study and Vending Study in 2024 and 2025, with ongoing support to DC Health and DLCP to provide outreach to vendors
Informed and Shaped Key Legislation & Policy Decisions
- Released objective policy analysis for more than 40 pieces of legislation introduced by DC Council or the Mayor, including information on how residents can testify
- Hosted listening sessions with DC food entrepreneurs and peer jurisdictions, analyzed models for cottage food legislation, and published resident-facing information about the Cottage Food Expansion Act and all its amendments
- Conducted 4 listening sessions with farmers market vendors and operators across the city (with a focus on Wards 7 and 8), compiled challenges, and developed policy recommendations to heavily inform the Farmers Market Support Amendment (FMSA) Act; engaged in outreach to ensure aspiring market operators benefit from the Act when it passed in 2025
- Convened working groups that led to the No Senior Hungry Omnibus Amendment Act of 2022, passed in 2023
- Researched school meals legislation in peer jurisdictions and published analysis on the potential impact of universal school meals that informed the Universal Free School Meals Acts introduced in 2023 and 2025
- Informed other pieces of legislation, including the Green Food Purchasing Amendment Act (2021), the Save Good Food Act (2019), and the Healthy Students Amendment Act (2018)
- Conducted data and policy analysis around procurement solutions for institutional meals in the District, including several studies on Central Food Processing Facilities & and a cost-benefit analysis
- Integrated food priorities into major District plans (Sustainable DC 2.0, Ready to Play, Climate Ready DC, neighborhood plans, and the Comprehensive Plans)
Increased Data Transparency and Analysis on Food System Challenges and Opportunities
- Released the Food System Assessment annually since 2021, which compiles data on hunger and food access (including locations of grocery stores, healthy corner stores, and farmers markets) across agencies that would otherwise be siloed or not as accessible
- Published the Make Food Work report in 2020 by convening more than a dozen workforce development providers and updated the workforce development providers list in 2025
- Conducted detailed analyses for specific food insecure populations including Seniors, Asset-Limited and Income Constrained and Employed (ALICE) population, LGBTQ+ residents, college students, and migrants, with specific recommendations for government and nonprofit stakeholders