Welcome to the Food Policy Debrief, where we shed much-needed light on how corporations and organizations can engage with progressive food policy. Join us once a month as we provide news updates, demystify policy, and provide opportunities for advocacy!
TL;DR
Four not depressing pieces of food news
A ~hopefully uplifting~ note from the FPD team
An exciting new partnership between a grocery retailer and food rescue organization
Three positive changes to the food system happening right now
This Month’s Standout Food Stories
Wholesome alert: D.C. Central Kitchen baked 7,000 carrot muffins and distributed them to children at the White House’s Hallo-READ event
Food stakeholders (including us!) held an event to encourage Congressional members to join the Congressional Food Recovery Caucus
After Hurricane Helene, chefs and farmers in Western North Carolina pivoted into action to support their communities
The FDA’s reorganized food division has laid out its priorities for the next fiscal year, via FoodFix
How You Can Progress Food Policy This Month
Here’s the thing: We know it might feel disorienting at the moment. But one thing won’t change: You’re here (reading this newsletter) because you care about the food system and want to continue improving it—and that’s what we’re going to do. Together. The Food Policy Debrief team hopes you've been taking time to destress and unclench from election day (and month, and year) stress, and we’ll meet you back here next month (and the ones after that) for ways to keep fighting the good (food) fight.
Social Impact Spotlight
Shedding light on companies leading by example and engaging in food policy in a meaningful way
Misfits Market, a subscription-based grocery delivery service, donated $200,000 to food recovery organization Sharing Excess to support its food rescue and distribution operations in Hunts Point Produce Market. Misfits is dedicated to making affordable, high-quality food more accessible while helping break the cycle of food waste, so this partnership was written in the stars!
To celebrate their announcement, these two Philly-founded organizations hosted an event where they distributed over 10,000 pounds of food to the amazing residents of Co-Op City (the footage will make your day).
As last mile experts, Sharing Excess handles the transportation, coordination, and delivery of perfectly edible food that would otherwise be wasted to 60 New York organizations across 25 zip codes. Learn more about its work here!
Pieces of Hope: Three Positive Changes to the Food System Happening Right Now
The 2024 General Election in the U.S. is over. It’s done, it happened, now what? Well, we don’t really have the answer to that right now (nor do we want to start pondering the 2026 midterm elections).
What we do know though is that there are still people, advocates, organizations, members of Congress, and more that are fighting to make the food system better. You are most likely one of them, and together we can still make a difference.
The Food Policy Debrief team thought we would do us all a favor and take a slight break (ish) from, well, policy to highlight three things happening in the food world worth celebrating—that won't be impacted by the election results.
Let’s get into it.
1. Major food delivery apps now accept EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) payments 🚚
Uber Eats, Go Puff, and Instacart will all start allowing folks receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to pay for their groceries using EBT to pay for orders from grocers like Albertsons, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, and more. According to Uber Eats, the company is committed to making it easier for consumers living in food apartheids with unreliable transportation to access nutritious food—which is a major win🎉.
Sometimes slow and steady does win the race apparently because this program has the 2014 Farm Bill to thank, which first authorized a pilot program that would allow SNAP participants to use their benefits at online retailers. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, this was expanded rapidly to include delivery, and now includes retailers across most states. We’re looking forward to seeing how companies continue to expand their offerings so that all consumers have access to expansive, innovative options for grocery shopping.
2. A new partnership will help college students access food resources 🎓
Speaking of making food more accessible, there’s cause for celebration on the college hunger front as well. Quick refresher: millions of college students in the U.S. who are eligible for food assistance are not receiving it due to administrative hurdles, lack of available information, and more. However, a newly announced partnership between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Education may change this in a big way. The agreement between these two offices states that they will work together to send emails to low-income students who may be eligible for SNAP, letting them know that they’re potentially eligible for the program, sharing information about SNAP rules for students, and informing them how to apply. The departments will also work closely with institutions of higher education to help them provide clear guidance to students on SNAP eligibility and application processes. This may sound straightforward (it is) but it could have a huge impact for millions of college students today. P.S.: We’re especially excited about this because the team behind the Food Policy Debrief helped bring a group of college students to the Hill to advocate for this in summer 2024!
3. Online fees for low-income families paying for school meals are gone 🍎
Did you know The USDA and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (aka a government agency that makes sure Americans are treated fairly by banks, lenders, etc) announced earlier this month that “junk fees” associated with the costs of school breakfasts and lunches will be banned, effective in the 2027-2028 school year. If you’re like WTH are junk fees (valid) they’re basically processing fees. So while the law mandates that students eligible for reduced price meals can’t be charged more than 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch, with processing fees, families can end up paying 10 times that amount.
Without these burdensome processing fees in the picture, a family of four could save an estimated $57,720 per year (!!!!) when purchasing school meals for their children.
This move is just part of a larger wave of school meal inclusions. With more states either implementing or proposing universal school lunches and breakfasts, it seems like the political calculus on this issue has changed in the direction of… feeding kids healthy foods. We love to see it ♥️.
Talk to Us
That's all for this month! Have something food policy-related you want to share? Email us directly, or message us on LinkedIn. We welcome all tips and story ideas, so please keep ‘em coming!
See you next month!
Niyeti Shah is the founder of the Food Systems Collaborative, a consultancy offering services at the intersection of social impact, food systems, and food policy.
Will Thomas is the Principal of Patelana Group, LLC, a consultancy offering research, grant-writing, and consulting services at the intersection of food security, nutrition, and public health. He’s also a Partnerships Development Executive at Beam.
Lucy Shanker is the communications lead at Food Systems Collaborative. A former journalist, she specializes in the intersection of social impact, story-telling, consumer communications, and food systems.
