Policy

🌱 What is Food Policy?

Guidelines and regulations to promote healthy eating patterns; standards and practices to ensure that food is safe for consumption; efforts to address inequalities in food access...these are just a few examples highlighting the role of policy in our food system.

In a nutshell, food policy is how government actions — including legislation (the making of laws) and regulations (how those laws are implemented) — shape our food system. These policy decisions occur at all levels of government: Federal, state, and local. Non-governmental institutions also provide opportunities for policy change. Learn more from this Food Policy 101.

Here in Massachusetts, many of the laws that regulate the local food system are made by the state legislature. Legislators have to make decisions on many issues and they can’t be experts in all of them - they need your help! They count on us to keep them informed on what’s happening at the community level, and they need to hear when policy changes or funding are needed. Learn more advocacy tips for food system stakeholders from the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative.

Policy Working Group Activities

Regional-level:

Reviewing reports from the New England Food System Planners Partnership project, New England Feeding New England: Cultivating A Reliable Food Supply, including Massachusetts-specific research and documentation.

State-level:

Thanks to the leadership of the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative, following the 2023-2024 legislative activity and aligning with other collaboratives and coalitions to support (through community and stakeholder education and calls-to-action) bills that would strengthen our local food system.
Meeting with, and learning from other coalitions and food policy councils from around the state, such as the Southcoast Food Policy Council.
Attending the 2024 MA Food System Forum
Reviewing and engaging in discussions related to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) Farmland Action Plan.

Local-level:

Following the work of, and engaging with, the Salem Food Policy Council and Lynn Food Policy Council (current Coalition member organizations).
- - As part of MDAR's 1st Annual Urban Agriculture Week in July 2024, attending an event hosted by Mack Park Farm, attended by state and local policymakers.
- Reviewing local and municipal reports and plans, including the Upper North Shore Food System Study and Beverly & Salem Resilient Together Climate Action & Resilience Plan.
- Identifying policy opportunities and potential actions in other planning project communities, and engaging with local stakeholders to align on a path forward.
  - For example, addressing Beverly's City Council to provide an overview of the Coalition's goals and activities.

Looking ahead:

- The Massachusetts legislature filed many bills in the 2025-26 session that relate to recommendations made in the 2015 Massachusetts Local Food Action Plan, the 2020 Perspectives on Resilience and Recovery report, and the 2023 Farmland Action Plan. We're continuing to follow and engage in current legislative activity, with continued thanks to the leadership and coordination by the Massachusetts Food System Collaborative.
  - In alignment with the Collaborative and other organizations throughout the state, in March 2025 we signed this white paper identifying 9 bills as legislative priorities for passage during the 2025-26 session.

Moving Forward

Some activities we're planning:

Continue close collaboration with MAFSC, including following the 2025-26 legislative session activity and supporting identified priorities.
Learn from and support activities of existing municipal food policy councils within our Coalition.
Identify policy opportunities and actions in planning project communities and other North Shore communities, and engage with local stakeholders to align on a path forward.
Provide community education and tools so residents feel knowledgable and empowered to contact their elected officials to support actions that would strengthen our local food system.

Call to Action

🔊 Funding for the Healthy Incentives Program

The Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) in Massachusetts gives SNAP recipients money back on their EBT cards when they buy healthy local fruits and vegetables from participating vendors.

Unfortunately, due to inadequate funding in the 2025 budget, starting December 1, 2024 the money back monthly cap was reduced to $20 regardless of household size—a 50% reduction in benefit for the vast majority of SNAP households. Additionally, there are 25 farmers that run SNAP CSA programs, 38 farmers markets, 12 mobile markets with 109 stops, and 59 farmers with 66 farm stands that are open in December that were affected by this change.

The Campaign for HIP Funding is asking the Governor and legislature to dedicate an additional $7.5 million to HIP (line item 4400-1004) in a future fiscal year 2025 supplemental budget to stop this unnecessary cut.

The Massachusetts Food System Collaborative is maintaining an updated document with updates and actions we all can take to encourage funding for this important program for nutrition security!

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