Policy 1: Develop an overarching food policy framework for the County. Prince George’s County should have a holistic approach to food to understand and control the dynamic local food system, which is critical for everybody who eats in the County. An overarching food policy framework is required to create a healthy, equitable, and sustainable food system that ensures every Prince Georgian has access to nutritious, affordable, sustainably grown, safe, and culturally appropriate food. Eradicating diet-related chronic diseases and disparities in accessing healthy food can be achieved by developing effective policies and coordinated strategies through collective impact.
Strategies:192 • Establish a County agency for food policy, or at the very least, create a food policy director or coordinator position within an appropriate department or office. • Create a shared vision for food and local food system involving the community. • Create a food charter for the County. Food charters are public declarations of a community’s intent toward its food system. They express key values and priorities for creating just and sustainable food systems. Food charters generally combine vision statements, principles, and broad action goals pointing toward a coordinated local food strategy. • Develop and implement a food system plan. A food system plan integrates all food system issues and identifies policies, strategies, and action items for the development of a healthy and sustainable local food system to support and enhance the overall public, social, ecological, and economic health of the community. It requires a holistic approach to its functional parts that include agriculture, land use, environment, economy, education, government policies and regulations, social justice, health, and food cultures. • Examine the linkages between food and health, economic development, planning, revitalization, and environmental protection and encourage appropriate County agencies to collaborate and implement necessary strategies to achieve common goals related to local the food system.
A Seat at The Table: Resource guide for local governments to promote food secure communities.
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