San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom recently made waves in sustainable city news with the new mandatory recycling and composting initiative and yesterday proclaimed San Francisco as the epicenter of electric vehicle technology in the latest installment of what might be called the ’sustainability wars’ between San Francisco and Portland.
Continuing in that vein, Mayor Newsom yesterday issued an Executive Directive outlining San Francisco’s first comprehensive regional food policy. The press release reads:
“The stark reality is that hunger, food insecurity, and poor nutrition are pressing health issues, even in a city as rich and vibrant as San Francisco,” said Mayor Newsom. “From the alleviation of hunger, to the need to support local and sustainable agricultural practices, these recommendations form a comprehensive and strategic approach to addressing pressing needs in all sectors of the food system.”
In making the announcement, Newsom was joined by California Food and Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura, representatives of the United State Department of Agriculture, Bay Area farmers, and members of local food advocacy groups such as Roots of Change at West Oakland Woods Farm, one of the several community urban gardens run by City Slicker Farms.
- » See also: Wonky Veggies Welcomed Back Into the EU
- » Get Eat. Drink. Better. by RSS or sign up by email.
Among the elements of the new food policy:
- Requiring all city departments to conduct an audit of land under their jurisdiction in order to inventory land suitable for gardening
- New health and sustainability requirements for food sold by vendors under city permits
- A “healthy meetings policy” requiring the purchase of healthy, locally produced foods for city meetings
- A call for a new law to be made that would require food purchased by the city to be grown regionally and sustainably
The directive calls for these to be completed with in 6 months. And within two months, Newsom says he will send an ordinance to the Board of Supervisors mandating that all food served in hospitals, homeless shelters, jails, and community centers be healthy.
The announcement is the culmination of collaboration between the city and local food advocacy groups. The directive includes several recommendations resulting from that collaboration, including a proposal for connecting regional food growers to local San Francisco restaurants and food purchasers as well as an initiative to help residents who use food stamps buy food at local farmers markets.
This plan is not only a first for San Francisco, it is also certainly one of the most ambitious and comprehensive sustainable food policies in the nation. Let the sustainability wars continue!
Read the mayor’s full press release of the regional food policy.
No comments:
Post a Comment