Mission

The Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council connects Philadelphians and their local government to create a more just food system.

Vision

The Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council envisions a food system where all people in Philadelphia have the power and resources to access and control our food, land, and labor.

History

Through Greenworks Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Food Charter, the City of Philadelphia set targets to create more equitable access to healthy food in neighborhoods, improve the environment and public health, and stimulate the economy by increasing access to local, fresh, and healthy food. To help guide the City’s work on food system planning, Mayor Michael Nutter asked the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability (MOS) to convene the Food Policy Advisory Council. The Mayor appointed the inaugural members of the council in January 2011. Today, the Office of Sustainability, which is positioned within The Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (oTIS), administratively houses FPAC by managing staff, fundraising, and securing resources.

Structure

FPAC’s membership includes 27 to 35 appointed members and several ex-officio members. The Council is chaired by one ex-officio and one appointed member. The full body meets 6 times a year at general meetings, where members report out on project progress. FPAC projects take place on a subcommittee level, and all members are encouraged to serve on one or more of FPAC’s subcommittees that meet monthly. FPAC also has one staff member that drive the Council’s work forward between general meetings, manage general operations, and provide additional capacity for FPAC projects.

FPAC’s structure and operations are further laid out in its bylaws, which were drafted by members and are updated periodically.