CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
title
A RESOLUTION adopting the 2024 Food Action Plan and directing the Office of Sustainability and Environment to continue interdepartmental coordination, implementation, and monitoring of the Food Action Plan.
body
WHEREAS, local and regional food systems are essential to healthy, resilient, and equitable communities; and
WHEREAS, The City of Seattle (“City”) has an opportunity and responsibility to work collaboratively with a variety of local communities and food system practitioners to increase equitable access to nutritious, affordable, and culturally relevant food; support locally grown and harvested foods; increase equitable economic opportunity and labor protections for workers; prevent food waste; and reduce the environmental and climate impacts of the local food system; and
WHEREAS, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequities in the food system create unfair differences in access to fresh, nutritious, affordable, and culturally relevant foods, increase the disproportionate prevalence of diet-related diseases, create barriers to land access, ownership and starting food or farm businesses, and contribute to racial disparities in job quality; and
WHEREAS, the COVID pandemic directly impacted local, national, and global food systems and worsened economic, racial, and social disparities in food insecurity rates and other food system outcomes; and
WHEREAS, food systems are both impacted by and major contributors to climate change; and
WHEREAS, these concurrent crises of persistent racial inequities, the pandemic, and climate change can spur unique opportunities for change to create a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient local food system; and
WHEREAS, Tribes, Native and Indigenous communities, and communities most impacted by food systems issues have extensive expertise in fostering equitable, sustainable, and resilient local food systems; and
WHEREAS, in 2007, the Council adopted, with the Mayor concurring, Resolution 30990, adopting a Zero Waste Strategy, that includes goals and strategies to increase food waste recycling and reduce food waste; and
WHEREAS, in 2008, the Council adopted Resolution 31019, adopting the Local Food Action Initiative, which established goals, created a policy framework, and identified planning, analysis, and actions for the purpose of strengthening local and regional food sustainability and security; and
WHEREAS, improving Seattle’s local and regional food systems advances the Seattle Comprehensive Plan goals related to community, environmental stewardship, economic opportunity and security, race and social equity; and
WHEREAS, in 2009, the City established the Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI) through Resolution 31164, with the Mayor concurring, affirming the City’s race and social justice work and directing City departments to use available tools to assist in the elimination of racial and social disparities across key indicators of success, including health, education, criminal justice, the environment, employment and the economy, and to promote equity within the City workplace and in the delivery of City services; and
WHEREAS, in 2013, the Council adopted, with the Mayor concurring, Resolution 31441, adopting the City’s first Food Action Plan, outlining strategies and actions the City can take to strengthen Seattle’s local food system while advancing interrelated goals of race and social justice, community health, environmental sustainability, economic development, and emergency preparedness; and
WHEREAS, in 2013, the Council adopted, with the Mayor concurring, Resolution 31447 adopting the Seattle Climate Action Plan, recognizing the increasing threat of global warming and identified actions to achieve City climate goals and other City goals, including solid waste reduction, urban forest protection, and sustainable economic development; and
WHEREAS, in 2015, the City launched the Equity and Environment Initiative with the goal of ensuring that all people and communities benefit from Seattle’s environmental progress; communities most affected by environmental and food injustice are engaged in setting priorities, designing strategies, and tracking progress; and people of color, immigrants, refugees, people with low incomes, and individuals with limited-English proficiency have opportunities to be part of and leaders in the environmental movement, which includes food; and
WHEREAS, in 2016, the Council adopted, with the Mayor concurring, Resolution 31681 to advance the efforts of the Equity & Environment Agenda, which cites access to healthy, affording food and food hardship as interconnected to environmental issues, and adopts goals for all environmental and sustainability work in Seattle that prioritize communities of color, immigrants, refugees, people with low-incomes, youth, and limited-English proficiency individuals; and
WHEREAS, 2017, the Council adopted Ordinance 125324, enacting a Sweetened Beverage Tax, intended to improve health outcomes while increasing food security and early childhood education resources for communities most impacted by health inequities; and
WHEREAS, in 2019, the Council adopted, with the Mayor concurring, Resolution 31895, the Green New Deal for Seattle, which recognizes the importance of expanding access to healthy, affordable, locally-produced, and culturally relevant foods to improve community health and reduce reliance on mass-produced, highly-processed foods that contribute to climate pollution and negatively impact public health; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a Food System Transformation framework to build a more resilient food supply chain, create a fairer food system, make nutritious food more accessible and affordable, and emphasize equity by creating more economic opportunities; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, the U.S. White House released a national strategy on hunger, nutrition, and health to address food insecurity and diet-related disease which are deeply rooted in poverty, systemic oppression, and systemic, race-based discrimination; and
WHEREAS, the 2019 Seattle Consumption-Based Emission Inventory, published in 2023, found that food was the second largest greenhouse gas emissions category after transportation; and
WHEREAS, the City has many notable programs and services across departments, and advanced by the first Food Action Plan, that are working together to increase food security, increase access to nutritious, affordable, culturally relevant food, expand equitable economic opportunities and fair labor practices, prevent food waste; prevent environmental and climate pollution; and prepare for future emergencies and disasters that impact Seattle’s food system; and
WHEREAS, the strategic planning process to update the Food Action Plan included extensive collaboration with communities impacted by food system issues, leaders of community-based organizations, local and state partners, Tribes, and the City Food Action Plan Interdepartmental Team; and the planning process included racial equity analyses, outreach and interviews with community stakeholders, and literature reviews; and
WHEREAS, the Food Action Plan is intentionally aspirational and forward looking and not all of the strategies and actions contained within it are funded; and
WHEREAS, adoption of the Food Action Plan does not constitute approval for City funding and should not create an expectation for future City funding; and
WHEREAS, to the extent the Food Action Plan contains unfunded strategies and actions, the Office of Sustainability & Environment is encouraged to seek external grant funding; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:
Section 1. The 2024 Food Action Plan, attached to this resolution as Attachment A, is adopted as the City's updated framework to foster an equitable, sustainable, and resilient local food system. Adoption of Attachment A conveys The City of Seattle’s support for the following:
A. Pursuing a multi-benefit approach to Food Action Plan implementation that integrates racial and social equity, cultural relevancy, food security, food access, food sovereignty, land use, training and education, economic and community development, fair labor practices, environmental sustainability, food waste prevention, and emergency and disaster planning to achieve the goals and priorities outlined in the plan;
B. Using the Food Action Plan to help inform City actions to achieve the goals and priorities outlined in the plan; and
C. Working collaboratively with local, state, federal partners, and Tribes to support and fund implementation of the Food Action Plan.
Section 2. The City directs the Office of Sustainability and Environment to continue coordinating interdepartmental implementation of the Food Action Plan, annually monitor progress on action plan outcomes, and update the Plan after five years if needed.
Adopted by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2024, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this ________ day of _________________________, 2024.
____________________________________
President ____________ of the City Council
The Mayor concurred the ________ day of _________________________, 2024.
____________________________________
Bruce A. Harrell, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2024.
____________________________________
Scheereen Dedman, City Clerk
(Seal)
Attachments:
Attachment A - 2024 Food Action Plan