A regional group at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) focused on ensuring food security and building a more resilient, connected food and farm economy has urged the Biden Administration to incorporate a set of priorities in a new national strategy that will be announced this fall.
The COG Food and Agriculture Regional Member (FARM) Policy Committee sent a letter last week to the task force planning the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September calling for universal, healthy, and free school meals for all children and increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, among other priorities. The conference will be the first meeting of food policy officials convened by the White House in more than 50 years.
Food security has been elevated as a regional priority in recent years. The economic hardship created by COVID has increased the number of residents without consistent access to healthy, affordable food.
The FARM Committee is also recommending several local strategies that could be implemented by the federal government, such as expanding the use of Medicaid reimbursement for nutritious food (there are several “food as medicine” programs in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia) and providing flexible forms of cash assistance.
These strategies and other innovative policies are compiled in a comprehensive, new publication, the Healthy Food Access Policy Compendium for Metropolitan Washington. The publication intends to broaden understanding of policies and programs underway in the region and further improve policymaking to strengthen food security.
The FARM committee is comprised of elected officials and subject matter experts; District of Columbia Councilmember Mary Cheh serves as Chair, and Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice and City of Fairfax Council Member Jon Stehle are Vice Chairs.
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FARM Committee letter to Interagency Planning Task Force for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health
Healthy Food Access Policy Compendium for Metropolitan Washington