Food Action Plan
What is the Food Action Plan?
The Food Action Plan is the City of Seattle's roadmap for an equitable, sustainable, and resilient local food system that supports healthy, vibrant communities.
The Plan outlines strategies and actions the City can take to improve our local food system while advancing interrelated goals of race and social justice, food security, health, environmental sustainability, economic development, fair labor standards, and more. The Plan is also a framework to coordinate and align the many City departments that develop and implement food programs and policies.
A multi-department effort is underway to update the Food Action Plan for the first time since 2012.
What's Happening Now?
Updated December 16, 2022
The City’s Food Action Plan Interdepartmental Team has developed a revised draft of the updated Plan that addresses feedback from earlier community engagement and public comment. The latest draft includes 8 Strategic Priorities and 50 Actions oriented around these goal areas:
- Increase Community Food Security
- Support Locally Grown & Traditional Foods
- Expand Equitable Economic Opportunities & Fair Labor Practices
- Prevent Food Waste & Environmental Pollution
The draft Actions are a mix of existing, enhanced, and new work—and all respond to the priorities and hopes articulated by hundreds of community members most affected by racism and other systems of oppression at the root of food system inequities.
Dozens of staff and departments who will steward the updated Food Action Plan are in the process of reviewing the revised draft. This internal review process is expected to last through January 2023, and updates and next steps will be posted here.
Recent Community Engagement & Public Comment on the Food Action Plan Update
Since September 2021, we have been engaging with a wide range of food system stakeholders with diverse expertise and who represent frontline communities most impacted by racial inequities in our food system. Key themes from these community engagements are summarized in these select reports and presentations:
- Community Engagement Report Back Presentation (from July 12 & July 15, 2022)
- Community Engagement Full Report
- Community Leader Interviews Report
- Forthcoming - Native Foods Listening Session Report
These findings and more information other reports and data sources were the the foundation for the draft Strategic Priorities and Actions that were made available for public comment in July and August 2022. The public comments can be viewed here: seattlefoodactionplan.consider.it.
2012 Food Action Plan
Seattle's first Food Action Plan was developed in 2012 and intended to be a five-year roadmap to increase access to affordable, healthy, culturally appropriate food; expand opportunities to grow food in the City; strengthen our regional food economy; and reduce food-related waste.
Food Policies and Programs
The Food Action Plan is implemented by multiple City departments working in collaboration with many community partners and other institutions. The Plan aims to align with other City initiatives including the Comprehensive Plan, Duwamish Valley Program, Equity & Environment Initiative, Green New Deal, Race and Social Justice Initiative, and 2022 Solid Waste Plan Update.
Click on the links below to visit the webpages of major food-related policies and programs across the City.
Food Security
- Child Care Nutrition Program, which is part of USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (Human Services Department)
- Children and Youth Summer Food Service Program (Human Services Department, Seattle Parks & Recreation)
- Emergency Preparedness and Response (Office of Emergency Management)
- Farm to Preschool (Human Services Department)
- Food Banks and Meal Programs (Human Services Department)
- Food Insecurity Disparities Data and Research (Office of Civil Rights, Public Health – Seattle & King County)
- Fresh Bucks (Office of Sustainability & Environment)
- Healthy Food in Schools (Office of Sustainability & Environment)
- Sweetened Beverage Tax Community Advisory Board (Office of Sustainability & Environment)
Urban Agriculture & Land Use
- Compost and soil services (Seattle Public Utilities)
- Comprehensive Plan (Office of Planning & Community Development)
- P-Patch Community Gardening (Department of Neighborhoods)
- Urban Food Systems Program (Seattle Parks & Recreation)
Economic Development and Labor
- Business District Initiatives (Office of Economic Development)
- Food Business Supports (Office of Economic Development)
- Seattle Labor Standards (Office of Labor Standards)
- Food Safety Program (Public Health – Seattle & King County)
Food Waste Prevention, Rescue, and Composting
- Prevent Food Waste at Home (Seattle Public Utilities)
- Food Rescue Innovation (Seattle Public Utilities)
- Compost Food Waste at Home (Seattle Public Utilities)
- Compost Collection at Businesses (Seattle Public Utilities)
Community grant programs focused on food
- Food Equity Fund (Department of Neighborhoods)
- Farm to Preschool (Human Services Department)
- Food and Nutrition (Human Services Department)
Other community grant programs that will consider proposals for food-related work
- Environmental Justice Fund (Office of Sustainability & Environment)
- King Conservation District Seattle Community Partnership Grant Program (Office of Sustainability & Environment, King Conservation District)
- Neighborhood Matching Fund (Department of Neighborhoods)
- Duwamish River Opportunity Fund (Department of Neighborhoods, Office of Sustainability & Environment)
- Waste-Free Communities Matching Grant (Seattle Public Utilities)
- Equitable Development Initiative (Office of Planning & Community Development)