By Abigail Lundy
July 2, 2012

Mayors from around the country gathered June 15 to discuss how to expand local food economies and improve access to healthy foods. Boston Mayor Thomas J. Menino and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake facilitated the conversation in their roles as chair and vice-chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Food Policy Task Force.

In his opening remarks, Menino thanked the Leadership for Healthier Communities for sponsoring the session and stressed the importance of the topic saying, "Nothing drives me crazier than seeing a kid waiting for the bus at eight in the morning eating a bag of potato chips. That just doesn't work." Rawlings-Blake reiterated the need to address food access and called on mayors to share strategies on what is working in their communities to help all cities tackle the issue.

Several guest speakers discussed with the audience the tools and resources they can use to improve food access for their residents. Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) thanked Menino and Rawlings-Blake for leading what she called a "long-overdue effort" and stressed that 70 percent of what the USDA does is nutrition based, dispelling the idea that the department is a rural-focused organization. She then walked attendees through the newly released Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food online platform, which highlights the USDA resources available in a community and allows users to facilitate connections between suppliers and programs.

Pat Smith, from The Reinvestment Fund, shared several financial resources that mayors can use to attract or retain healthy food retail in under'served areas of their communities. One example is the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, which has awarded close to $45 million in grants. Smith pointed out that most funds for healthy food retail come through federal agencies like the Department of Treasury or Health and Human Services and encouraged attendees to engage their congressional representatives in ensuring that money stays in these budgets to help cities tackle this urgent issue.

Mary Lee, from Policy Link, concluded the presentations by focusing on the potential for job growth in the food retail business and noting the policy changes that can be made to facilitate food access. City's must first understand what the need for healthy food looks like in their community, and then they can take steps like mapping the available lots for new food retail, streamlining the permitting process, and making zoning more flexible to encourage development.

More information and resources mentioned during the section can be found on the website usmayors.org/foodpolicy.