is our role with the City of Hartford Advisory Commission on Food Policy. The Hartford Advisory Commission on Food Policy was established by City ordinance in 1991 to implement recommendations from the Mayor’s Task Force on Hunger. Continuously operational since then, its purpose is to integrate all City agencies in a common effort to improve the availability of safe and nutritious food at reasonable prices for allHartford residents, particularly those in need.
The Commission’s work is guided by four goals:
TO ELIMINATE HUNGER AS AN OBSTACLE
to a happy, healthy, and productive life in the City;
TO ENSURE THAT A WIDE VARIETY
of safe and nutritious food is available for City residents;
TO ENSURE THAT ACCESS TO FOOD
is not limited by economic status, location, or other factors beyond a resident’s control; and
TO ENSURE THAT THE PRICE OF FOOD
in the City remains at a level approximating the level for the state.
Hartford Food System provides staffing for the Commission and also serves as one of its members.
As part of its advisory role to city officials, the Commission annually prepares a series of recommendations on food and nutrition issues. Recent recommendations include supporting mid-sized grocery stores, ensuring that all schools in Hartford have active gardens, and reducing food waste.
The Commission meets monthly at City Hall on the second Wednesday of every month from 3:30 to 5:15. Meetings are open to the public and everyone is encouraged to attend!
Full annual Commission reports can be accessed from the links below.
In February 2017, Community Solutions, Inc. engaged Wholesome Wave, a Connecticut-based, national non-profit experienced in programs, policy and research focused on food access, affordability, and government food assistance, and Hartford Food System, a Hartford-based nonprofit with expertise in culturally responsive urban food access programming and convening, to develop a tactical implementation plan to address the challenges of food access and affordability in the North End of Hartford. Support for this project was provided by Well Being 360, a national effort of Trinity Health,and Rx Foundation. This report is the culmination of the process, including opportunities that, when coupled with the correct partnerships, funding, and leveraged resources, could significantly help residents optimize government food assistance and incentive programs, increase food security, and decrease food-related diseases in Hartford’s North End. These opportunities are also scalable to the rest of the city of Hartford and beyond.