Characteristics of Regional Food Policy Councils

Background and Overview  
Interest in regional approaches to food system planning, development, and governance has grown dramatically in the last decade, including food policy councils. Food policy councils (FPCs) are collaborative groups that bring together stakeholders in a local, regional, state, or tribal area to address food system issues. Due to limited information on regional FPCs, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service and researchers and practitioners from Ohio State University, Colorado State University, and Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future partnered with 11 regional FPCs through an 18-month community of practice. Project partners explored the unique opportunities, challenges, and needs of regional FPCs and developed resources to inform and support regional work.

These resources, along with the key takeaways listed below, are a result of a) collaboration and research with 11 participating regional FPCs, b) analysis of available national-level data on regional FPCs, and c) analysis of available research on regional governance models and practices, not limited to the food sector. Visit www.localfoodeconomics.com/regional-fpc/fpc-resources to explore the available resources including characteristics of food policy councils working regionally, a discussion guide for taking a regional approach, and advice from the community of practice.  

Key Takeaways 
The project aimed to explore what distinguishes regional food policy councils from local councils, identify key considerations for adopting a regional approach, and clarify what stakeholders within a region should understand about the role and function of regional food policy councils.  Based on those questions, the project team identified the following key findings, grouped into overarching themes, about regional FPCs and their work:

  • Regional Boundaries: Regional FPCs’ work spanning urban to rural areas enables a focus on economic development and systems-level change. Regional FPCs collaborate across jurisdictions and urban-rural boundaries, focusing on issues related to economic development, production, procurement, and processing to enact systems-level change. Coordinating with multiple jurisdictions is a key challenge addressed by regional FPCs. Developing strong relationships and understanding the policy contexts of governments within the region is critical to this coordination.
  • Relevance and Adaptation: Regional FPCs are constantly evolving to establish their credibility. Regional FPCs must define their region, and in many cases, the regional boundaries of regional FPCs do not align with other organizations nearby defined by official jurisdictions (i.e. city or county-level). FPCs working in this context must define and justify their region to be seen as credible.
  • Policy and Governance: Regional FPCs position themselves more as ‘advisers’ rather than as ‘advocates’.  While many local FPCs take an advocacy approach to food systems work, regional FPCs work across larger areas that encompass multiple governments and position themselves more neutrally, providing information and policy guidance. To do this well, regional FPCs must develop relationships and share information across various jurisdictions.

Links to More Information

Publication Date
June 2025