What is Food Policy?

Broadly defined, food policy is a set of collective decisions made by governments at all levels, businesses, and organizations that affect how food gets from the farm to your table.

A food policy can be as broad as a federal regulation on food labeling or as local and specific as a zoning law that lets city dwellers raise honeybees. Decisions range from formal pieces of legislation to voluntary guidelines and administrative processes that allow for certain programs to flourish.

Mission: 

The mission of the Greater Cincinnati Regional Food Policy Council is to advance a healthy, equitable, and sustainable food system for all within Greater Cincinnati’s ten-county region through policy, systems, and environment change.

Objectives:

• Create a forum that brings together stakeholders from all segments of the food system to generate new relationships and share best practices.

• Initiate research and recommend policies that increase food security in communities as well as social and economic opportunities for food producers, distributors, and consumers throughout the region.

• Advocate for food security through a regional food system development agenda at the city, county and regional levels.

• Serve as a resource to the community to assist in local food system development programs and projects related to health and nutrition, land use, food waste recovery, community food assessment and local purchasing.

Current Work:

The council currently has three workgroups focused on increasing healthy food access, regional food production, land use and distribution.

View the workgroup priorities and action plan

The Urban Agriculture Zoning Ordinance was approved by the Planning Commission on 5/17/19!

Click here to learn more.

A new project is being
launched to create a 
Cincinnati Foodshed Atlas!

We are seeking submissions and proposals for maps and infographics that visualize our regional foodshed, as well as cartographers, graphic designers and visual artists to help produce the maps and final layouts.

Click here to learn more.

The State of Local Food report (created in 2012) will be updated this year!

Stay tuned for a survey coming in the Spring.

Good Food Resources

Current Work

2017-2019 Policy Agenda