Blog
Wayne Roberts, coordinator of the Toronto Food Policy Council (TFPC), retired in June after working with the TFPC for ten years. The council, formed back in 1991, experienced many successes during his tenure. Most recently the council 
authored a food strategy report entitled, Cultivating Food Connections, which calls on all of the city’s departments to address healthy food issues, and in 2009 formed the Toronto Youth Food Policy Council. Mr. Roberts has also served as an invaluable resource to our very own Oakland Food Policy Council, providing guidance and encouragement throughout its beginning stages.
At his retirement, Mr. Roberts offered his inspiring thoughts on the modern food movement as he moves on to the next phase of his life. His first piece of advice was to “love your city.” Although he was referring to Toronto, a lot can be said for being proud of the place where you are working, having an appreciation for and a commitment to that place. As far as what is needed to be successful in food policy, Roberts posits that positive energy is essential as well as the recognition that any progress, no matter how small, is meaningful. You must also be thankful for all the help you receive along the way; food policy work is clearly not achieved alone. Keeping this in mind, he emphasized the importance of working in partnership as opposed to competition with other groups. Mr. Roberts’ reflections also brought to the forefront the reason why many are in this line of work, where the goal is to ensure access to food for everyone. He spoke about how the need for food is a human vulnerability that we recognize in ourselves and in each other. Food at first glance may seem simple, but because of this vulnerability we share, it truly has a power to bring people together. More importantly, food has been and continues to be the source of its own movement.
These are words of wisdom from a professional who has dedicated a large part of his career to improving food access in the city of Toronto. Food policy councils and food justice activists around the nation can take note of his approach to local food systems change. To view Wayne Roberts’ full remarks, visit his blog, Cook Globally. Eat Locally. Act Neighbourly.
OUSD Nutrition Services continues to make progress in improving their meal offerings for the 108 schools they serve. With new standards and recommendations for the food they are sourcing, OUSD is ahead of the curve. But these changes cannot occur without a little help from the extra funding needed to support such an important program, one that is helping to feed our local kids.
This October, as part of National School Lunch Week, Nutrition Services will be serving up the Ideal Meal. This is a meal of high nutritional value, sourced locally, and made from minimally processed ingredients. A few items planned for the Ideal Meal menu include, grass-fed beef hot dogs and whole-grain bread delivered from a local bakery. These are the kinds of foods Nutrition Services would like to be serving everyday, in addition to products like antibiotic-free poultry, hormone-free milk, whole grains, and locally grown produce. When it comes to sourcing locally, they currently have three tiers to describe the geographic origin of the ingredients used in school food. These range from the most local--within the immediate nine county Bay Area, to the second tier-- which includes areas from Fresno to the border, and finally to the third tier--including the entire state of California. With goals to incorporate more foods from the lower tiers, Nutrition Services is doing its part to support local businesses and farmers and reducing the impact of their food purchases, while also promoting the health of their students.
How can we make the ideal meal happen everyday
Jennifer LeBarre, Director of OUSD Nutrition Services, spoke with us about making the Ideal Meal possible. There are a few ways to increase supports for the school lunch program in order to make these healthy, local options the everyday option for students. First, increasing federal reimbursements for the National School Lunch Program could boost Nutrition Services’ ability to continue improving their selection of foods. A dollar increase per meal could help these healthy options occur on a daily basis.
Another food policy change that could lead to school food improvements would be to adjust the way state funding is made available for the school food programs. Currently, state funding is appropriated to the program, with a certain amount set aside for each year. With this system, if the appropriated money is spent before the end of the school year, Nutrition Services has to make up the difference to make it through the remaining weeks or months. On the other hand, if the state shifted to an entitlement plan for these funds, then the program would be guaranteed funds to last through the entire school year. Such a change would allow the state school food reimbursements to be distributed in the same way food stamps are allocated at the federal level –if there are more individuals eligible for the program, then the government continues to fund at a level that will serve all of those eligible. Less stress about making it to the end of the school year would allow Nutrition Services more flexibility in providing ideal options.
The big piece of federal legislation still in Congress, the Child Nutrition Reauthorization, has many potential tools for making more Ideal Meals possible. Proposed increases in reimbursements and overall funding for school food programs could translate into increased staff, more training, and higher wages. This, along with funds for improved kitchen equipment, could make way for additional scratch-cooking and therefore the use of less processed foods. OUSD has already benefited from stimulus money, which allowed them to purchase new ovens and equipment to bolster their scratch-cooking abilities. Ideal Meals come from more than just good, healthy foods; there are many people behind the process and fair funding can provide the support they need.
Look for the Ideal Meal in your local schools this fall. And if you like the idea of homemade, local and healthy foods for our Oakland students, help support the ways to make the Ideal Meal possible everyday. For more information on Child Nutrition Reauthorization and how you can encourage Congress members to act on this bill, visit the Hunger Action Center and the Food Research and Action Center. The Oakland School Food Alliance is another local resource taking action on the issue.
School may be out, but this fall, fresh produce will be in. A total of 12 Oakland schools will be hosting weekly produce markets to begin at the start of the school year. These are open to students, parents, and local community members who want to stock up on fruits and vegetables delivered from area farmers.
What started as a pilot program run by EBAYC in just two of their after school programs has expanded through collaboration with several organizations, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and OUSD Nutrition Services. According to program coordinator, Christine Cherdboonmuang, the idea of running these produce markets grew out of a community food assessment and survey conducted by EBAYC youth interns in the San Antonio neighborhood. The results showed that many residents were traveling outside of the community to purchase healthy foods. With the goal of addressing this issue and increasing local, healthy food access, the school produce markets were started at two area schools. After showing how these markets could attract a growing crowd of customers and were becoming an important part of their host schools, there were requests for placing markets at more Oakland schools. A new partnership with OUSD Nutrition Services and support from the Robert Wood Johnson Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Initiative allowed the project to scale-up last year.
Putting on these weekly produce markets requires the time and energy of many players to operate successfully. Each market is staffed by a manager hired by the school, who in many cases is the parent of a child at the school. Volunteer 
students and parents are responsible for setting up and breaking down the produce stands as well as assisting with the actual sales. Each school also has a designated market liaison. This staff member is responsible for promoting the program to faculty members and students, encouraging them to purchase produce and use the market as a site for creative lessons outside of the classroom. The most important part of the market is, of course, the produce. Food is delivered by farmers to a central OUSD location and then sorted for distribution to the different school markets. Some farmers make a special trip to deliver for the school markets, while others build in an extra stop on the days they are selling at area farmers’ markets.
Gehry Oatey, teacher and market manager at Melrose Leadership Academy, has enjoyed being part of this movement towards healthy foods for the students and their surrounding community. When he began working at the school five years ago, he incorporated a garden and cooking lessons into his activities with the children. Since then, the school has worked up to coordinating a thriving school produce market program. Running on Wednesday afternoons, the Melrose Leadership market bring in upwards of $500 in sales each week. This translates into a significant amount of healthy produce that is made available to students, their families, and neighbors. Mr. Oatey describes the best part of the market as people being excited about healthy foods. It provides an opportunity for customers to learn about which fruits and vegetables are in season and what it means to purchase organic produce. He also observes how the market has really added to the school’s overall environment, acting in a positive way to bring people together around healthy food.
The Oakland Farm-to-School Network is looking forward to a bright future. Coordinator, Christine Cherdboonmuang hopes to see the school produce markets’ continued growth with the addition of several more participating school sites over the coming years. Look for a school produce market near you this fall, when apples, tomatoes, and a whole host of other fresh produce will be in prime season.
The OUSD Produce Markets will begin operating this fall, the third week in September. For a full schedule of the market days and times see the OFPC Healthy Living page. The markets are also set to accept EBT cards this fall.
On July 7th the City of Oakland Planning Commission heard a presentation from the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) on adding a health element to the City’s General Plan. Public health staff members, Pam Willow and Dr. Muntu Davis, highlighted the connections between land use planning and health. They cited truck routes and asthma rates, public transit and access to medical care, liquor store concentration and crime, and street planning and pedestrian safety, all as examples of how planning decisions directly impact the community’s health. Eric Angstadt, Deputy Director of CEDA (Community and Economic Development Agency) introduced the speakers and explained that they are asking the commission to work with the ACPHD to seek funding and develop strategies for incorporating a health element.
The planning commissioners expressed support for the idea, many stating that this action is long overdue. In addition to hearing the public’s opinion about the health element proposal, Commissioner Michael Colbruno was interested in hearing more about solutions to the health issues the City is currently facing. The public health department emphasized that including a health element would allow more of these solutions-based conversations and collaborations to take place and allow for health to be considered in all future planning decisions.
During the open forum, community members were invited to voice their opinions about the proposal. There were representatives from diverse organizations including the Oakland School Food Alliance, the Alcohol Policy Network, Transform-- a Bay Area public transportation advocacy group, a local children’s gymnastics program, and the Oakland Food Policy Council (OFPC). OFPC member, Heather Wooten, and OFPC coordinator, Alethea Harper, both took a few minutes to speak to the Planning Commission. Heather spoke about her work with Public Health Law and Policy and their capacity as a resource for information on how health elements have been implemented in other cities and communities throughout the country. While funding for such a planning process is a concern among the commission members, Heather pointed to the fact that adopting a health element would put the City in a unique position to receive additional state and federal funds for its planning efforts. Alethea’s comments focused on possible policy solutions to food system problems, including supports and protections for urban agriculture; establishment of a Fresh Food Financing Fund; and streamlining regulations for farmers’ markets. Alethea stated that the Oakland Food Policy Council is eager to help develop these solutions, and having a comprehensive plan and vision for Oakland as a healthy city will help attract resources to each possible solution. Alethea also underscored the point that good food, places to exercise, and a clean environment are the basis of good health, both mental and physical.
There was general excitement among the commissioners, several referred to the work around sustainability, urban agriculture, and health that is already taking place in Oakland. They want to be able to use the expertise of people working on these projects in order to implement larger scale programs to improve the health of City residents. But what are the next steps for this movement towards a health element? The ACPHD staff will need to present their proposal to the Oakland City Council to establish the collaboration between the Planning Commission and the ACPHD. When we know more about the date and details of this presentation to City Council, we will share them with you. It is important to continue showing our support for a health element in the General Plan.
By Beth Sanders
Not only is Jennifer McTiernan a motivated individual with a passion for improving the Connecticut foodshed and the health of its people—she also has a stoic, philosophical side. When asked about words of wisdom she can impart on fledgling food policy councils around the country, McTiernan quotes the late Roman Lucius Anneaus Seneca: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”.
Preparation is the First Step
No one knew exactly whether the goals of the New Haven Food Policy Council (NHFPC) would gain momentum when it was initially established in June of 2005. But what they did know is that deliberate preparation—such as getting a city 
ordinance passed to support their group’s formation, ensuring a diverse representation of appointed council members and selecting the issue of childhood nutrition to begin making policy recommendations—was a safe bet to begin working. The NHFPC began by identifying an area of focus – childhood nutrition and school food – and then writing a policy primer report to explain the current state of school food in Connecticut, accompanied by ideas on how students can receive healthier lunches from local farms. Several ambitious recommendations were published, including an increase in the federal government’s reimbursement rates to school lunch programs, revision of federally mandated nutrition standards, and promoting Connecticut Public Schools to participate in the state’s Farm-to-School program.
“For a long time, we sat through the NHFPC meetings, came up with things to do, defined our priorities, and created ways for the council to come together”, recalls McTiernan, who was instrumental in the policy council’s formation and served as Founding Chair. “We were coming up with lots of activities to engage in, but I started a lot of meetings not being sure about what we would actually end up doing.” She acknowledges that a lot of members in other food policy councils around the country may be asking themselves similar questions as to what their organizing efforts will later accomplish.
The Opportunity Arises
A lot of hard work was already underway before McTiernan and her colleagues realized that the effort had not been made in vain. The clue was the ubiquitous billboards across New Haven and the growing newspaper articles on how union workers, parents, students, and school employees were urging the City to cut all ties with the private food contractor, Aramark. The tension over the company’s management of food services and facilities maintenance was coming to a boil, in large part because of a national campaign launched by the Los Angeles-based Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The company had a twelve year history of menus offering “chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, chicken bits, and all the previous on a bun" with infrequent fresh vegetables, and many parents were fed up. Advocates were starting to question whether there was a link between this practice and the rising trend of childhood diabetes and obesity rates.
It was at this moment when McTiernan realized that this was the council’s golden opportunity to help tip the scale. “It was amazing after spending all that time building our food policy council, we were ready for that moment”, she remembers. The NHFPC proceeded to become an important voice in the community’s conversation about healthy, school food and the best way to promote it by attending public hearings and writing an op-ed in The New Haven Register. They also worked to develop recommendations, as part of the policy primer, for a self-management food system model structured specifically for the New Haven school system. Thanks to their preparation, the NHFPC was able to bring an important perspective to the table at a time when the city was deciding what the school food service program should look like and how it should operate. Victory was achieved in May of 2008 when the Board of Education voted unanimously to designate in-house food service for the district, effectively rejecting the three outside bidders—including Aramark.
Words of Wisdom for Blossoming Food Policy Councils
McTiernan’s success story serves as an inspiration to all food policy councils that may be in the initial phase of organizing themselves and finding their footing to engage the local community. “The take-away message is that you can’t start setting up a council at the very moment something of importance arises”, she states. The story could have a different ending, however, if there was careful preparation for that moment: “even if it’s only the second public hearing you have attended, that’s fine if you’ve found your direction.” Recalling how the City of New Haven decided to prioritize fresh, healthy school food by bringing the operation of the food service program in-house, McTiernan believes, “Maybe they wouldn’t have come out with the same priority if it weren’t for the food policy council. By investing in building an infrastructure and creating legitimacy, food policy councils can position themselves to be ready to be effective advocates when the moment of opportunity arises. Developing a relevant mission statement is an excellent starting point and a way to be prepared to address important issues that come up. It serves as a mandate to support advocating for what will help make a healthier, more sustainable food system.”
Jennifer McTiernan was the founding director of CitySeed, a non-profit organization she started that launched a network of farmers markets in New Haven and addresses local as well as national food policy issues. She is currently living in Berkeley, California, with her family, and preparing to attend Yale Law School to continue her work on food policy and law issues. To read more about CitySeed and the New Haven Food Policy Council, see cityseed.org.
Sources
http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/Government/pdfs/NHFPCminutes012408.pdf
http://www.cityseed.org/programs/council/NHFPCSchoolFoodPolicyPrimer.pdf
http://www.cga.ct.gov/coc/obesity_forum_documents.htm
http://www.ctfoodblog.com/?tag=jennifer-mctiernan
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/03/aramarks_missin.php#008564more
http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2007/03/30/ysfp-sustains-speaker-series/
