PREPARATION & DISTRIBUTION RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations aim to provide a broad, strategic vision for the system of preparation and distribution that stems from and services local agricultural production. The recommendations support three main objectives:

> Invest in a network of food processing facilities

> Fill gaps in the small-scale food transportation system

> Support opportunities to sell fresh produce

Invest in a network of food processing facilities.

3.1 Assess and catalog the ways in which existing community-oriented kitchens are being used and how accessible they are to determine whether they can be used for affordable culinary community programming such as food preservation, fermentation, food safety, and medicine making workshops.

Partner with City agencies, as well as community and nonprofit organizations, to gauge interest in providing public programming (e.g., Free Library Culinary Literacy Center) at recreation and senior center kitchens.

Contract local chefs, medicine workers and herbalists, and farmers for community programming at recreation and senior center kitchens, to provide nourishing and culturally relevant foods to surrounding neighborhoods.

Seek opportunities through Rebuild and other Parks & Rec capital improvement projects to upgrade kitchen facilities in order to accommodate a greater range of culinary community programming in more sites throughout the system, targeting underserved geographic- and program areas.

3.2 Develop a network of affordable community kitchens that support small food programs and emerging community food businesses throughout the city.

Identify existing public infrastructure (e.g., recreation and senior centers, school cafeterias) that can be outfitted to support food entrepreneurs in value-added product development and pre-packaged meal production.

Operations Parks & Rec, Free Library, Area Universities, Nonprofits, Grassroots Organizations

Medium-Term

Partnership Parks & Rec, Free Library, Nonprofits, Grassroots Organizations

Medium-Term

Operations, Partnership Parks & Rec Short-Term

Operations Parks & Rec, Rebuild Medium-Term

Operations, Partnership" Commerce, Parks & Rec, School District, Nonprofits,

Medium-Term

Operations Parks & Rec, School District Medium-Term

Explore resources to fund the installation of functional outdoor kitchens in community gardens. Budget Parks & Rec, FPAC, Office of Sustainability, Fund for Philadelphia

Explore ways to invest in existing community-run kitchens (e.g., places of worship/religious institutions, Boys and Girls Club facilities) that do not yet meet commercial standards in order to be used by community food businesses.

Support existing and build out new community kitchens and culinary innovation spaces in partnership with food entrepreneur support organizations (e.g., Philabundance Community Kitchen, The Enterprise Center), to allow for affordable rental commercial kitchens where food service operators, farmers, chefs, bakers, caterers, food entrepreneurs, and food trucks can prepare and store their food. Prioritize locations at or near existing gardens and farms, community institutions and schools.

Provide information and assistance to new commercial kitchens as they navigate building codes, secure permits and leases, and deal with other logistical and regulatory issues such as leasing and insurance.

Operations, Budget Commerce Dept, Area Universities, Nonprofits, Community & Religious Institutions

Partnership Commerce Dept, Area Universities, Nonprofits, Community & Religious Institutions

Operations Commerce Dept, Licenses & Inspections

Medium-Term

Medium-Term

Long-Term

Medium-Term

RECOMMENDATION / ACTION STEP

3.2 cont’d

Provide comprehensive wrap-around technical assistance (e.g., food safety education and certifications, and business planning) for producers and chefs using community kitchens. Prioritize BIPOC, low-income, and immigrant producers, including translating all materials.

3.3 Establish and connect gardeners and farmers to shared resources for critical aspects of food processing such as weighing, washing, and storage.

Explore opportunities to provide resources for the installation of infrastructure for washing, processing, and weighing harvested produce and building cold storage spaces at community farms and gardens for communal use.

Support the creation of a commercial-scale washing and rinsing facility for market farmers and food processing and preparation businesses that pack food for sale or make value-added products. Partner with a returnables business operator that picks up recyclable packaging from food processing and preparation businesses, washes it, and makes items available for buy-back at a price that is cheaper than buying new.

3.4 Connect agricultural businesses and nonprofit partners in the city with regional food producers to bring produce and products into the city for smaller-scale craft food processing operations.

Seek opportunities for food processing business development tied to key crops and products from the region (e.g., dairy and grain farms whose products can support craft ice cream production, plant milks, brewing operations, etc.)

Support and expand nonprofits partnering with regional and local farmers to create nutritious retail food items (e.g., added-value products, cheeses, sauces, pickles) from surplus farm products (e.g., vegetables, fruits, dairy, eggs).

3.5 Conduct a feasibility study for the creation of a food production and distribution facility for city programs that provide public meals (e.g., schools, prisons, hospitals).

Conduct a feasibility and impact study that evaluates potential sites for a centralized or decentralized food commissary. Evaluate costs to develop and operate such a facility, and the potential benefits, including the economic benefits of new living-wage job creation and local food sourcing compared to existing food contracts, health benefits, and environmental benefits.

Seek funding to support this initiative.

Align workforce development partners and training programs to build a career pipeline to these new local jobs. Explore how to expand existing workforce development opportunities while prioritizing formerly incarcerated individuals, recent high school graduates, immigrants, and adult workers without college degrees.

TYPE OF CHANGE LEAD AGENCY & PARTNERS TIMELINE

Operations EHS, Dept of Public Health, Commerce, Nonprofits

Operations Parks & Rec

Budget, Operations Parks & Rec

Partnership Parks & Rec, Area Businesses

Operations Commerce Dept, PASA, Nonprofits, Local Growers

Operations Commerce Dept, PASA, Nonprofits, Local Growers

Partnership Commerce Dept, PASA, Nonprofits, Local Growers

Operations Dept of Public Health, Commerce, Planning & Development, FPAC

Operations Dept of Public Health, Commerce, Finance, School District, Prisons, Planning & Development, FPAC, Parks & Rec, Nonprofits

Budget Dept of Public Health, Finance, City Council, Nonprofits, Funders

Operations Dept of Public Health, Commerce, Finance, School District, Prisons, Planning & Development, Parks & Rec, Nonprofits, Grassroots Organizations

Medium-Term

Medium-Term

Medium-Term

Medium-Term

CASE STUDY OAKLAND CENTRAL KITCHEN, INSTRUCTIONAL FARM, AND EDUCATION CENTER

Oakland Unified School District Central Kitchen, Instructional Farm and Education Center, which opened in August 2021, is the nation’s first City-run central food processing facility. The $40 million facility feeds 35,000 students fresh nutritious meals daily, from preschool through high school. The Center connects nutrition, education, and community programs at schools, kitchens, gardens, and produce market stands.

Medium-Term

Medium-Term

Medium-Term

Long-Term

Medium-Term

Case Study The Common Market

Long-Term

Long-Term

The Common Market in Philadelphia demonstrates a local example of nonprofit agricultural distribution that helps to fill the gaps in the food transportation system. TCM describes itself as “a nonprofit regional food distributor on a mission to connect communities to good food grown by sustainable family farmers. [The Common Market] strive[s] to improve food security, farm viability, and community and ecological health.” In addition to providing a platform for sustainable local farmers to sell their produce, TCM offers a discount to nonprofit customers, pop up farm stands, fundraising opportunities, and a lab for local food entrepreneurs to co-locate with the market’s operations and contribute to the local food economy.

RECOMMENDATION / ACTION STEP

TYPE OF CHANGE LEAD AGENCY & PARTNERS TIMELINE Fill gaps

3.6 Partner with workforce and economic development programs and nonprofit partners to foster new economic and mutual aid opportunities in agricultural transportation.

Extend or share transportation services that meet pick-up and delivery needs of farmers bringing materials and produce to and from their growing locations (e.g., utilization of PHS’s pick-up trucks by growers).

Explore opportunities to connect local growers with regional food distribution support networks (e.g. The Common Market, Philly Foodworks, SHARE, Philabundance, Sharing Excess) to create employment opportunities and transport food from gardens and farms to food markets and businesses.

Design and fund a distribution pilot program that helps farmers to distribute their goods locally, such as a ride share program with refrigerated trucks.

3.7 Advance nonprofit and other efforts to facilitate and support partnerships with community gardens and farms and local food distributors, such as food banks, food pantries, and food cupboards as well as with small food retailers and local restaurants.

Expand programs such as PHS’s City Harvest and Philadelphia Orchard Project that incentivize gardens to donate to local food pantries/banks. Connect community gardens and farms on public land to such programs.

Partnership Commerce, Nonprofits, Area Businesses Medium-Term

Partnership Nonprofits, Community Organizations, Local Growers

Partnership Nonprofits, Community Organizations, Area Businesses, Local Growers

Case Study

City Harvest At Southwark

More

Short-Term

Short-Term

Operations Commerce, Nonprofits, Local Growers Medium-Term

Partnership Nonprofits, Grassroots Organizations, Local Growers, Office of Children & Families, Parks & Rec

Partnership Nonprofits, Grassroots Organizations, Local Growers, Office of Children & Families, Parks & Rec

Short-Term

Many gardens in Philadelphia donate all or some of their harvests to the local community, either directly or through food banks, pantries, or community cupboards. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Harvest program is an example of a program that facilitates those relationships. The program oversees distribution of produce from community gardens such as The Spring Gardens and Southwark-Queen Village Community Garden to local food banks and public housing developments to provide local fresh food to community members in need.

Short-Term

Establish a crop sharing network to support coordinated production, aggregation, transport, and distribution of local harvest. Extend this network to supply anti-hunger, food distribution and food rescue organizations that serve housed and unhoused residents (e.g., food access organizations such as Broad Street Ministry, Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission, Philabundance, SHARE, and Sharing Excess).

Explore the feasibility of installing refrigerators and other food preservation infrastructure at participating gardens. Encourage and support collaboration with local community fridges (e.g., Mama-Tee Fridge, South Philadelphia Community Fridge) and mutual aid (e.g., The People’s Kitchen, West Philly Bunny Hop) organizations.

Expand ongoing efforts and create new opportunities to connect growers with small grocers, corner stores, and other local markets, such as The Food Trust’s Healthy Corner Store Initiative, which is piloting a program to support the sale of locally grown fresh produce in corner stores.

Support opportunities to sell fresh produce.

3.8

Provide enhanced education and information about City regulations and requirements for safe food vending.

Make existing informational resources for existing and new market vendors to easy to locate online so they can readily access information on permits, licenses, and any other guidance to help them run safe markets in various spaces (e.g., street vending, indoor and outdoor markets, etc.).

Provide clear online information and resources about food safety standards and certifications to ensure food safety compliance.

Partnership Nonprofits, Grassroots Organizations, Local Growers, Office of Homeless Services, Office of Children & Families

Partnership Nonprofits, Grassroots Organizations, Local Growers

Medium-Term

Operations EHS, Dept of Public Health, Parks & Rec, FPAC, Office of Immigrant Affairs

Operations Dept of Public Health, EHS, FPAC

Medium-Term

Online2021HarvestImpactDashboard courtesyofPHS

Visithttps://phsonline.org/for-gardeners/phsharvest for more information.

Short-Term

Medium-Term

Operations EHS, Dept of Public Health Short-Term

RECOMMENDATION / ACTION STEP

3.8 cont’d

Prioritize historically disinvested neighborhoods and communities when providing education, certifications, and hiring educators.

Create multilingual and easy to use documents that describe the requirements of running a farmers market, food stand, or food truck (e.g., poster, pocket guide). Plan to budget for translation services.

Create multilingual, culturally appropriate signage for farmers markets within diverse communities in the city (e.g., signage prohibiting animals at markets). Include resources for translation services.

3.9 Connect farmers and food producers with wholesale opportunities to sell produce or get their products into local businesses such as restaurants, corner stores, and other small food retailers, helping vendors and farmers access multiple income streams.

Work with businesses, farmers, and food producers to establish new business-to-business connections with networking events.

Incentivize entrepreneurship around new aggregation and distribution businesses that source produce from local gardens and distribute it to local commercial buyers.

TYPE OF CHANGE LEAD AGENCY & PARTNERS TIMELINE

Administrative EHS, Dept of Public Health, FPAC

Operations Dept of Public Health, Parks & Rec, FPAC, Office of Immigrant Affairs

Operations Dept of Public Health, Parks & Rec, FPAC, Office of Immigrant Affairs

Partnership Commerce Dept, Nonprofits, Area Businesses, Local Growers

Partnership Commerce Dept, Nonprofits, Area Businesses, Local Growers

Operations Commerce Dept, Nonprofits, Area Businesses, Local Growers

Short-Term

Short-Term

Short-Term

Long-Term

Long-Term

Long-Term

CONSUMPTION IS THE ACT OF GATHERING FOOD, EATING FOOD, OR GAINING ACCESS TO FOOD

The goal is to build long-term support for locally sourced, nutritious meals and increased fresh food access into the City’s infrastructure, policies, and programs.