How the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Food Policy Council is Strengthening Their Community and Working Towards Healthy, Affordable & Sustainable Food For All

by Jared Cates, CFSA’s Community Mobilizer

Raising funds for farmers at a Farm Hands event. Photo submitted by Erin Brighton

Raising funds for farmers at a Char-Meck Food Policy Council Farm Hands event. Photo submitted by Erin Brighton

Farming is a strong economic driver across the Charlotte metro region. Farmers have access to traditional wholesale markets as well as many direct to consumer opportunities through farmers markets and CSA’s. Locally sourced food can be also be found on the menus at many medium and high priced restaurants. But, the recent findings of a large-scale planning effort, CONNECT Our Future, drew attention to big challenges with inequity in the regional food system, low wages for food system workers, and large pockets of food insecurity. There is increasing demand for locally grown food, but farmland continues to be sold off and transformed into subdivisions. There is plenty of local produce grown in the region; however little of it is making its way into local school cafeterias. These are the types of issues that the Char-Meck FPC has been tackling. And they’ve been doing it in a variety of ways.

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by CFSA | Jul. 31, 2014 – 

A few months ago, a webinar was held by UNC School of Government, the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) and the NC Community Transformation Grant on food councils. Community and regional food councils (sometimes called food policy councils) are rapidly emerging as important mechanisms to stimulate the kind of dialogue and concerted action necessary to improve local food systems. In the last five years, food council activity in NC has grown to include more than 24 counties participating in or developing community-based food councils or networks. 

CFSA community mobilizer Jared Cates is part of the Community Food Strategies team, a CEFS initiative, that leads food council support and development efforts across the state. Below, we pick Jared’s brain on food council development.

Are there examples of commercial grocers being involved in food councils?

Yes, commercial grocers have a role to play in food councils. It is important that food councils interact and collaborate with all food system stakeholders, and commercial grocers are an integral part of the community food system. Having representation from grocers on a council will help expose the challenges that grocery stores typically run into when trying to source local products. Creating a space where local food producers, community members, local government and grocers can come together to discuss these challenges leads to increased collaboration, creation of supportive policies, and increased opportunities to bring locally produced foods into commercial groceries. Lowes Foods has been involved in some of the first food council meetings in Brunswick County, NC and recently in Cleveland County, NC. Company Shops Market in Burlington has been active in Alamance County, NC food council discussions.

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