About

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The Sacramento Food Policy Council is an official member of the statewide California Food Policy Council, a collaborative of local food policy groups working to ensure that California’s food system reflects the needs of all of its communities. The California Food Policy Council’s (CAFPC) purpose is to build the capacity of local food policy bodies to find common ground on statewide policy priorities, generate public support for those policies, educate policymakers on issues in our food system, and advocate for systems change in California. SFPC is also a member of the California Food and Farming Network (CFFN), statewide network of nonprofit organizations who work to advance a statewide policy agendas for a more equitable and just California Food System.

The Sacramento Food Policy Council aims to propel collective action toward an equitable and sustainable food system by building alignment, advancing policies, and convening advocates, policymakers, and organizations around a shared agenda.

Environmental Vision: An equitable, ecologically sound food and farming system in Sacramento County.

Organizational Vision: A community where all voices are engaged in and respected in the processes, programs, and policymaking that shapes the food system in Sacramento County.

From 2018 -2019, the Sacramento Food Policy Council Environmental Justice Food Access Campaign lead the development of healthy food access policies for the Sacramento County General Plan. In December of 2019, Sacramento County passed the first Environmental Justice Element, as required by Senate Bill 1000, which also contained these healthy food access policies. The Environmental Justice Element mandates a Countywide Food System Assessment and Action Plan for an equitable, just, and sustainable Sacramento food system to be completed by 2022 and 2024 respectively. SFPC and Lead Partner Green Tech Education & Employment, alongside county and non profit partners have received a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to lead the Sacramento Food System Assessment.

SFPC has worked to promote creative solutions to boosting CalFresh utilization at farmers markets. SFPC received a City of Sacramento Creative Economy grant to build a bilingual public art piece in Oak Park that bridges art and activism by informing CalFresh/food stamp recipients that they can use their benefits to purchase healthy, local food at farmers markets. The sign was unveiled at a community celebration on January 17, 2019.

From 2015-2017, SFPC worked with local stakeholders and the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) Nutrition Services Department to advocate for and shape the now completed main facility for SCUSD meal preparation - serving 80 schools and 43,000 students daily with locally sourced meals.

SFPC participated in a successful grassroots campaign between 2015 and 2017 to establish a set of Urban Agriculture Ordinances in both the City and County of Sacramento. The City approved the first Ordinance in 2015 and the County in 2017. The Ordinance legalized the sale of fresh produce on residential streets, allowing city residents to grow and sell food directly from their properties, as well as keep bees, chickens, and ducks. The City also implemented a tax incentive for converting vacant land for urban ag uses. These ordinances are expired as of 2021. SFPC is pursuing other pathways such as the City and County of Sacramento General Plans to ensure that these ordinances can be re-established long term.