ProGov21 Policy Library

Reach for More: Healthier Beverage Vending for Government Agencies in Rural Settings

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2014

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source ChangeLab Solutions

Policy Areas Health, Finance & Procurement, Food

Rural communities face physical, geographic, social, and economic barriers to good health. These include: limited access to healthy foods, few exercise facilities, lack of public transportation, lack of nutrition education, and more. As a result, older adults in rural areas tend to...

Community Advocates in Wilkinsburg, PA, Ensure Every Baby Reaches Their Full Potential

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level County

State(s) Pennsylvania

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Community Development, Health, Food

Babies in Wilkinsburg, PA suffer from elevated blood lead levels and high mortality rates. In response, the Best Babies Zone (BBZ) Initiative has undergone multiple strategies in Wilkinsburg to improve access to quality health care and transform their educational, economic, and community...

2010 Santa Clara Ordinance Regulating Toys and Incentives with Restaurant Food

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2010

Level County

State(s) California

Source County of Santa Clara

Policy Areas Health, Children & Families, Food

Restaurants encourage children and adolescents to choose specific menu items by linking them with free toys and other incentive items. This ordinance states that a restaurant may not provide an incentive item linked to the purchase of a single food item or meal if it includes excessive...

Chronic Disease Prevention Success Stories from Big Cities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2015

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source National Association of County & City Health Officials

Policy Areas Food, Health

This report features case studies of big cities successfully preventing and/or combating chronic disease. Strategies include improving nutrition by increasing access to healthy food and limiting sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, increasing physical activity through promoting healthy...

Assessing & Addressing Preemption: A Toolkit for Local Policy Campaigns

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source ChangeLab Solutions

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Health

Local policy is more likely to generate lasting change if it responds to the needs and priorities of local residents and is grounded in their lived experiences. However, some state legislatures are using the legal doctrine of preemption to block local policy innovations. This report...

5 States Addressing Child Hunger and Food Insecurity With Free School Meals for All

Type Article

Year 2023

Level State

State(s) California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico

Source Center for American Progress

Policy Areas Children & Families, Education, Food

California, Maine, Colorado, Minnesota, and New Mexico are addressing child hunger and food insecurity by implementing no-cost school meal programs for all students. Several challenges, such as administrative burdens, rising meal debt, and stigma, burden low-income students. The benefits...

Promoting Access to Healthy, Local Food

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2012

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Health, Children & Families, Democracy & Governance, Food

Within cities, residents face stark disparities in their access to fresh, healthy produce, with low-income communities often the most affected by this limited access. Inequitable access to food perpetuates poor health outcomes among low-income populations and undermines efforts to...

Child Malnutrition Imperils America’s National Security

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Council for a Strong America

Policy Areas Children & Families, Economic Justice, Food, Health

Obesity disqualifies 31 percent of youth from military service. Ensuring that all children have consistent access to fresh and nutritious food year-round is critical for kids to grow up to be healthy and prepared for any career they choose, including the military. This report provides...

Healthy Retail Playbook

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source ChangeLab Solutions

Policy Areas Health, Food

In many places, residents lack access to fruits and vegetables, but can easily find tobacco and alcohol. This playbook presents 15 strategies to achieve a healthy retail environment—one where it is easier to make healthy choices than unhealthy ones. In particular, these strategies...

Getting to Grocery: Tools for Attracting Healthy Food Retail to Underserved Neighborhoods

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2012

Level County

State(s) All States

Source ChangeLab Solutions

Policy Areas Health, Children & Families, Democracy & Governance, Food, Economic Justice, Civil Rights

Bringing a grocery store into an underserved neighborhood not only makes fresh produce and other healthy food more accessible, it can provide livingwage jobs, raise the value of surrounding property, and anchor and attract additional businesses to the neighborhood. A wide range of...

2008 Mendocino GMO Ban Ordinance

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2008

Level City or Town

State(s) California

Source Mendocino County City Council

Policy Areas Food

This ordinance makes it unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to propagate, cultivate, raise, or grow genetically modified organisms in Mendocino County....

Why Adopt an Obesity Prevention Resolution?

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2010

Level County

State(s) All States

Source ChangeLab Solutions

Policy Areas Health, Children & Families, Democracy & Governance, Food, Public Spaces

Passing a local resolution is one way for communities to promote obesity prevention policies. This report outlines NPLAN's model obesity prevention resolution, explaining how it works and the specific policies it promotes. It focuses on ten areas of improvement: (1) the built environment,...

Preemption Messaging: How to Communicate with the Public, Media, and Policymakers

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Grassroots Change

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Children & Families, Health, Environment & Natural Resources, Food

Many policies that help make healthier foods available to families start locally. But what if your state lawmakers suddenly passed legislation that took away the ability of community members, city councils, school districts, and counties to help prevent heart disease, stroke, and...

Wisconsin Districts Seek Solutions to School Lunch Quality

Type Article

Year 2022

Level School District, State

State(s) Wisconsin

Source PBS Wisconsin

Policy Areas Education, Food, Health

Wisconsin school districts faced challenges with school lunch quality due to national supply chain and labor shortages during the pandemic. Student-led initiatives have pushed for better meals, but issues like smaller portions and poor quality persist. To tackle these challenges,...

Regional Food Hub Resource Guide

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2012

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Food, Health, Children & Families

This guide focuses on the role that regional food hubs play in addressing the distribution challenges faced by producers and increasing access to larger markets. The guide addresses frequently asked questions about regional food hubs, including their definition, impacts, barriers...

Homegrown: Implementing State & Local Preferences for Food Procurement

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source ChangeLab Solutions

Policy Areas Health, Finance & Procurement, Food

Government agencies often procure goods, including food, for use by employees, students, and community members. Generally, when a state or local agency purchases food, the agency uses a competitive process to find the supplier who can provide the lowest-priced goods. However, when...

A Roadmap for City Food Sector Innovation and Investment

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Food, Democracy & Governance, Environment & Natural Resources, Community Development, Public Spaces, Health, Children & Families

This report examines opportunities for cities to invest in innovative business models and approaches to address local food systems challenges. It suggests investing in supply-side infrastructure in rural areas, focusing on value addition from regional farms and technology development...

States Ensuring School Meals for all, Regardless of Income

Type Article

Year 2023

Level State

State(s) California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Vermont

Source CNBC

Policy Areas Education, Food, Health

Some states are reinstating a federal pandemic-era policy that provided free school meals to all children, regardless of income. This expansion was in place for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years but was not extended for the 2022-23 school year. Nine states have passed legislation...

Green for Greens: Finding Public Funding for Healthy Food Retail

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2012

Level County

State(s) All States

Source ChangeLab Solutions

Policy Areas Health, Children & Families, Democracy & Governance, Food, Economic Justice, Civil Rights

For millions of Americans, accessing healthy food is no easy matter. In low-income communities, liquor stores and gas stations proliferate, while farmers' markets are hard to find. Nationally, 11.5 million low-income people live in low-income areas where the nearest supermarket is...

Understanding Healthy Procurement: Using Government’s Purchasing Power to Increase Access to Healthy Food

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2012

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source ChangeLab Solutions

Policy Areas Health, Finance & Procurement, Food

State and local governments can improve residents’ diets by exercising their power to purchase goods and services. By adopting healthy procurement policies, governments can improve public health, lower overall costs, and provide leadership for the private sector to do the same....

Findings for Model Healthy Food Zone Ordinance

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2009

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source ChangeLab Solutions

Policy Areas Community Development, Food, Public Spaces

This report explains how a "Healthy Food Zone Ordinance" can regulate the proximity of fast food restaurants and convenience stores to schools, parks, childcare centers, or other locations frequented by children. It also includes a model ordinance which prohibits fast food restaurants...

2010 Seattle Ordinance Number 123378 Urban Agriculture

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2010

Level City or Town

State(s) Washington

Source Seattle City Council

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Community Development, Public Spaces, Food

This ordinance updates the City's land use code governing urban agriculture uses, including: allowing urban farms and community gardens in all zones; allowing all residents to be able to sell food grown on their property; allowing farmers' markets in more areas; allowing dedicated...

Preemption: Countering Opposition Messaging

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Grassroots Change

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Health, Children & Families, Food, Environment & Natural Resources

Coordinated messaging from industry lobbyists and state legislators who support preemption is similar or identical across issues and states. This document lays out a number of predictable pro-preemption statements or messages, followed by accurate messages you can use to refute them,...

2010 Kansas City Ordinance 100299 Community Agriculture

Type Act or Session Law

Year 2010

Level City or Town

State(s) Missouri

Source Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Community Development, Public Spaces, Food

This ordinance defines and outlines regulations for home gardens, community gardens, and community supported agriculture....

Seeding the City: Land Use Policies to Promote Urban Agriculture

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2011

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity

Policy Areas Health, Children & Families, Food, Environment & Natural Resources, Economic Justice, Community Development, Public Spaces

This policy outlines how zoning laws can be used to facilitate urban agriculture in order to promote public health, environmental sustainability, and economic prosperity. It explains where urban farming should be located, how it can be legally approved, and the standards that should...

ProGov21 Policy Library

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