The Florida Food Policy Council (FLFPC) focuses on policy change and community engagement, hosting forums, webinars, and community events to address food system issues like equity and sustainability. While we do not run direct food distribution programs, we support them through advocacy and collaboration, as seen in our partnership with the Florida Access Bucks (FAB) program, which provides funds for low-income individuals to buy fresh produce. The FLFPC also analyzes and identifies gaps in current food policies through initiatives like the Florida Food Policy Scan.
Community and policy programs
Florida Food Forums and Webinars: The FLFPC hosts virtual and in-person forums and webinars to discuss food system issues, including topics like youth in the food system, women in the food system, and equity in the food system.
Community Events: The organization engages with the community by tabling at events, conducting outreach, and providing educational resources to connect people with their food system.
Florida Food Policy Scan: This initiative identifies policies that need improvement to address hunger, particularly within disadvantaged communities.
Advocacy and Partnership: The FLFPC partners with other organizations, such as Feeding Florida and Florida Impact, to advocate for programs like the Florida Access Bucks (FAB) program, which expands access to Florida-grown produce.
Support for other food access programs
While not a direct service provider, the FLFPC's work supports other programs that provide food assistance:
Partnerships: The FLFPC collaborates with groups like Feeding Florida to support programs like the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program.
Policy analysis: The Council's policy scan and other analyses help identify systemic issues that affect food security, which can lead to improvements in state and local programs.
Collaboration: The FLFPC connects system leaders, experts, and community members to find solutions and share resources, fostering a more comprehensive approach to food access across the state.
Programs & Initiatives
The Florida Food Policy Council (FLFPC) designs initiatives that directly address gaps and injustices within our state’s food system. Our leadership recognizes that food justice does not exist in isolation—it is deeply connected to racial, social, climate, and environmental justice. This understanding drives a cross-disciplinary approach that integrates public health, urban planning, transportation, agronomy, ecology, and social sciences to advance equitable, sustainable food systems.
Florida Food Forums
Since 2019, FLFPC has hosted Florida Food Forums—monthly, interactive discussions that inform citizens about their food system and empower them to act for justice. These live sessions have explored themes such as equity in agriculture, Black farmer justice, women in the food system, and the role of food policy in Florida politics.
Notable forums include:
To date, FLFPC has produced 21 live Food Forum events, 5 Spotlight Interviews, and launched the Florida Food Dialogue series, spotlighting local leaders who are shaping the state’s food landscape.
Grassroots Introduction to Food Policy Course
Recognizing that food policy education must be accessible to community leaders—not just academics—FLFPC created "Crafting a Grassroots Introduction to Food Policy", a community-based course designed to demystify how laws, regulations, and decision-making processes shape Florida’s food system. Developed under the leadership of Erica “Erahyah” Hall, this curriculum helped residents, organizers, and students understand how policy impacts their daily lives—from zoning for urban agriculture to the politics of food assistance programs. The course bridged civic engagement and food sovereignty, grounding participants in both the structural and cultural dimensions of food justice. Published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD), the course model has become a nationally recognized framework for building local policy literacy and empowering residents to become “food citizens” capable of shaping just and resilient food systems.
Policy Snapshots
Since 2018, FLFPC has published over 20 Policy Snapshots, offering concise updates on local, state, and national legislation affecting Florida’s food and environmental systems. These monthly updates also highlight how climate impacts underserved and vulnerable communities and provide funding opportunities, event news, and calls to action.
Speaking Engagements and Partnerships
The Florida Food Policy Council (FLFPC) regularly engages in statewide and regional convenings that unite advocates, farmers, researchers, and policymakers to strengthen Florida’s food system.
In partnership with Florida Organic Growers and the Florida Farmers Market Association, FLFPC co-hosted the symposium series “Growing a Stronger Economy through Local Entrepreneurship” (2019–2020), fostering education and collaboration among local food entrepreneurs and community leaders across Florida’s cities.
FLFPC has presented at or collaborated with numerous state, national, and regional forums, including:
Through these collaborations, FLFPC continues to be a trusted convener and thought partner—advancing conversations around food sovereignty, right to food, climate resilience, and equitable economic development.
Research and Policy Development
The Florida Food Policy Scan in partnership with Feeding Florida, FLFPC conducted a statewide policy scan identifying 152 local policies across six counties and sixteen municipalities that could be strengthened to improve food access and security. This work produced a 70-page report documenting opportunities for reform, especially within communities facing persistent hunger and market access challenges.
The Florida Food Policy Toolkit
FLFPC is developing a comprehensive toolkit to help individuals and organizations understand and influence the laws and regulations shaping Florida’s food system. The toolkit introduces Floridians to the concept of food citizenship—empowering residents to engage with state, tribal, and local policies governing urban agriculture, farmers markets, food distribution, and processing. Future forums and webinars will guide communities in using this resource to conduct local food system assessments.
Future Projects
Building on nearly a decade of grassroots organizing and statewide collaboration, the Florida Food Policy Council is preparing to launch a powerful new phase of community-driven research, participatory mapping, and policy transformation. This next chapter centers Florida communities—especially those historically pushed to the margins—while equipping decision-makers with the tools they need to build a just, resilient food system.
GIS Mapping and Data Equity Project
FLFPC is expanding its technical assistance and policy research capacity through a statewide GIS mapping initiative that visualizes food access, land use, environmental justice, health outcomes, and farmworker conditions. This effort will strengthen partners’ ability to identify disparities, track policy change, and direct equitable investments. These tools will also support BIPOC-led farms, community gardens, and land-based projects by clearly highlighting structural barriers and opportunities for land access, procurement contracts, and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Community Food Assessments and Listening Sessions
FLFPC will continue hosting regional listening sessions, town halls, and community visioning circles—spaces where residents, growers, farmworkers, health practitioners, and policymakers build solutions together. These sessions will feed into a series of Community Food Assessments documenting local conditions, barriers, and opportunities. Findings will drive regional action plans, strengthen right-to-food advocacy, and guide funding priorities rooted in lived experience, cultural knowledge, and community self-determination.
Technical Assistance and Capacity Building
FLFPC will deepen support for community-based organizations, grassroots coalitions, and municipal partners developing:
• Local and regional food policy councils
• BIPOC-led and community-owned cooperatives, land trusts, and food businesses
• Resilience hubs connected to climate, health, and emergency preparedness
• Right to Food campaigns and policy readiness initiatives
• Food is Medicine pilots aligned with statewide public health efforts
• Medicaid 1115 demonstration projects focused on children, seniors, and low-income households
• Farm and food worker protections, land access programs, and culturally-rooted food sovereignty workBy bringing together data equity tools, facilitation support, and policy expertise, FLFPC aims to strengthen Florida’s collective capacity to advance racial equity, food justice, and long-term community resilience.
Other Activities and Accomplishments
Beyond its formal programs, FLFPC provides technical assistance in grant writing, fundraising, and capacity building to members and partners across the state. Notable leadership recognitions include:
Website Resources
FLFPC’s updated and revamped online platform will serve as a statewide information hub, offering:
What else would you like to see on our website? Send an email to info@flfpc.org
