JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville has released its first comprehensive Food Plan, a roadmap for strengthening the city’s food system as it grows. The plan notes that nearly one in seven residents experiences food insecurity.
In an Oct. 26 letter opening the plan, Mayor Donna Deegan said a strong food system is part of the infrastructure needed to support growth.
“Every resident deserves reliable access to nutritious, affordable food,” Deegan wrote. She added that rising food costs “continue to place added pressure on household budgets.”
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According to the plan’s executive summary, recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and a cyclospora outbreak exposed weaknesses in the local food system. The summary said such disruptions can quickly affect the availability, affordability and distribution of food.
The plan calls for proactive planning, stronger resilience to disruption, support for local production and access to food for all residents.
Experts organized the plan around four pillars:
- Production: Supporting local farmers by helping them expand, improve market access and build profitable businesses while preserving the region’s agricultural footprint.
- Distribution: Improving hazard planning across supply chains and strengthening ties between distributors and food access points.
- Access: Ensuring residents can get fresh, healthy and affordable food where they live, and reducing food deserts through targeted investment.
- Recovery: Reducing food waste by redirecting edible food to diversion programs and sending inedible food to uses such as composting.
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The plan was developed with community stakeholders, experts, public agencies and city staff. Its acknowledgments credit working groups covering food production, access, distribution, recovery and the culinary sector.
Partner organizations include the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF IFAS) Duval Extension Office, Blue Zones Project Jacksonville, the Culinary Institute of America, Feeding Northeast Florida, the Duval Food Policy Council, the Duval Urban Ag Council and the Duval Ag Council.
Deegan said the plan’s success will depend on continued collaboration among government, businesses, nonprofits, producers, institutions and residents.
To take a look at the full plan, visit the city’s website here.
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