Unproven Healthy-Food-For-All Plan Adopted by Whatcom County

By Alison Moon

On July 25, 2023, the Whatcom County Council unanimously approved AB2023-294, a resolution adopting the Whatcom County Food System Plan, created by the Whatcom County Food System Committee and described on its cover page as a “10 year [sic] plan for an equitable and sustainable food system.” While some of the plan’s concepts may be favorable, it is questionable whether they belong under the purview of government agencies, whose size and scope would seem to need to increase in order to implement the plan’s tenets. The 46-page plan is organized into five goals and objective strategies to reach each goal.

Here each goal is listed, with comments and emphasis added as needed.

Goal 1: “Cultivate equity and justice in our food system.” The specific strategies to reach this goal include:

• “Increase health, wealth, and leadership with BIPOC and underrepresented communities across our food system,” in part through county leadership’s “[e]ngage[ment] with and reflect[ion on] the diversity of our communities–across class, race and ethnicity, genders, belief systems, etc.–in all Whatcom County planning and communications about food systems”;
• “Strengthen support for immigrants in Whatcom County,” in part through policies to “[s]trengthen the capacity of local employers, businesses, and service agencies to respond to immigration-related issues” (whatever those may be) and “[r]equire mandatory training for county staff and contractors (particularly criminal justice and health and human services) related to anti-discrimination/anti-bias approaches, culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS), and trauma-informed services” (emphasis added); and
• “Empower food system workers to lead healthy and safe lives,” including by way of the nebulous action of “[f]und[ing] the engagement of food system workers to improve workplace health and safety standards that meet the principles of the Whatcom Food System Plan” and “advocat[ing] for changes in state laws around tip sharing” among restaurant workers so that “tip sharing is more equitable across the board,” among other things.

Goal 2: “Protect and regenerate our soil, water, and land.” The specific strategies to reach this goal include:

• “Protect Agricultural land in Whatcom County and increase the acreage used for local and regenerative food production,” to be achieved, in part, via a collaboration between county leadership and the county’s Ag Advisory Committee to “[e]stablish a baseline inventory of the number of acres of agricultural land in Whatcom County currently used for local food production. Use the baseline inventory to set an achievable target of acres for local food production and organic food production for the county to strive for” [emphasis added]. County leadership is also to enact policies to increase agricultural acreages under conservation easements;
• “Improve the health of our county’s soils” through education of farmers in soil management best practices and how to transition from conventional to organic farming (apparently funded, at least in part, by Inflation Reduction Act funds), protecting and restoring riparian estuary habitat and wetlands, and encouraging “increases in research and development of drought- and heat-resistant agricultural crops”;
• “Conserve water and support water efficiency projects and policies,” including policies to allow for greywater use in food production and promotion of water rate policies to “promote conservation and prioritize food production”;
• “Ensure water quality through habitat restoration and improved agricultural practices,” in part by “[i]ncreas[ing] the number of acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)” (potentially resulting in farmland being taken out of production); and
• “Protect and restore natural ecosystems and wildlife corridors that community members rely on for food provision,” again by “[i]ncreas[ing] the number of acres enrolled in the CREP,” as well as by “[s]ecur[ing] additional funds and increas[ing] capacity in the Whatcom Conservation District’s Fish Passage program to convert culverts on county land that currently prevent fish passage” (a 17-year program for which $3.8 billion in state funds has already been committed). In addition, county leadership will “[e]nforce the Open Space public access program to enable foraging, hunting, etc. on [presumably public and private] land enrolled in this program,” although it is unclear whether this action item refers to the CREP, the Whatcom Conservation District’s Fish Passage program, or the Salmon Recovery program.

Goal 3: “Build a resilient and vibrant local food economy.” The specific strategies to reach this goal include:

• “Increase the supply of local, sustainable food produced in Whatcom County,” to be achieved by the “[c]reat[ion] and expan[sion of] the network of shared-used kitchens and processing facilities for food businesses, food producers, and retailers” and much-needed “[a]naly[sis] and revis[ion of] county permitting and zoning processes related to meat processing to remove barriers for small-scale butchers and WSDA meat cutters,” among other action items;
• “Remove barriers to and build consumer demand for locally produced agricultural products and facilitate markets for local producers and food businesses,” in part by “[i]ncreas[ing] local food procurement for county departments and county-subsidized facilities and programs” and using the county’s Lodging Tax Advisory Committee to provide funds to already-existing food- and farm-related social activities;
• “Expand workforce development and readiness to prepare community members for successful food system employment” via providing funding to various local educational institutions;
• “Support new and beginning farmers in acquiring farmland and support effective transition of farmland to the next generation of farmers” via the implementation of various state-level tax credits and tax exemptions for new farmers, as well as providing additional funding to the county’s conservation easement program; and
• “Invest in local and cooperative ownership of food system businesses,” including business succession planning and grant writing support to “cooperatively owned food and agriculture businesses applying for state and federal funding.”

Goal 4: “Ensure access to healthy food for all.” The specific strategies to reach this goal include:

• “Build and design our communities to ensure food access and eliminate food deserts” by “[a]ssess[ing] the policy barriers (i.e., non-compete clauses) that may prevent grocery stores from operating in recognized areas with low access to food” (thereby apparently interfering with contracts among privately-owned businesses), rerouting existing public transit “for more equitable access to food access points as necessary,” “[i]dentify[ing] and implent[ing] strategies like a Healthy Corner Store Initiative program or a Good Food Rebate program/tax incentive for neighborhood retailers and grocery stores to stock and promote nutritionally dense food options,” however the county might define that term, and conducting a feasibility study for a non-profit grocery store (although it is unclear whether this would be a publicly-owned or privately-owned store);
• “Create and promote opportunities for people to grow, prepare, and share their own food” by “[i]dentify[ing] interest, land, and funding to develop more community gardens in low-income/low-access neighborhoods” (again, it is unclear as to whether the land would be publicly or privately owned), supporting educational programs for growing, cooking, and preserving food, and increasing opportunities for hunting, foraging, and fishing;
• “Invest in programs that make healthy food more affordable,” such as the Whatcom County Food Bank Network, SNAP, etc., and “[s]upport universal school meals, including summer meal programs, that are nutrient-dense and in-line with the principles of this food system plan,” again, however the terms “nutrient-dense” and “in-line with this food system plan” are defined by the county; and
• “Scale up food recovery efforts in Whatcom County” to reduce waste and ensure the donation of surplus food by food businesses and farmers.

Goal 5: “Mitigate emissions from food system activities and adapt the food system to a changing climate.” The specific strategies to reach this goal include:

• “Reduce GHG [green house gas] emissions from farming and food system activities” by, among other things, “[w]ork[ing] with livestock producers in the county to reduce methane emissions from activities related to ranching and livestock production,” “[a]dvocat[ing] for government and other incentives to encourage the use of low-emission vehicles on-farm and throughout food transportation systems” (emphasis added), and “[e]ncourag[ing] producers to reduce their use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides”;
• “Reduce waste in our food system and specifically reduce food waste by 50 percent” through, for example, “[s]upport [of] a statewide plastic stewardship program; businesses who produce packaged goods would share the cost of ensuring that those materials are properly recycled,” expanded composting efforts, and development of programs to match restaurants with farmers who would use food waste as livestock feed;
• “Adapt our agricultural production systems and practices to a changing climate” via strategies already discussed in Goal 2;
• “Protect food system workers during extreme weather events” by educating farm workers and owners about the effects of heat stress and wildfire smoke, “[s]upport[ing] investments in protective equipment and infrastructure (e.g., respirators, air conditioned and heated break rooms, shade structures) to protect food chain workers during extreme weather events” (again, it is unclear as to whether the equipment and infrastructure would be publicly or privately funded), and supporting farm workers’ advocacy efforts; and
• “Fortify our food system against–and support recovery after–climate disruptions,” including by promoting and supporting governmental efforts to “provide food system businesses with disaster preparedness and climate resilience resources and tools.”

As a side note, it is ironic that this food system plan that purports to prioritize local food and “healthy” food includes in its Acknowledgments on page 3 a company called New Venture Advisors, LLC. NVA’s founder, Kathy Nyquist, apparently once “served on the leadership team for a $5 billion product portfolio at Kraft Foods. She previously managed accounts at Leo Burnett and Young & Rubicam, then the nation’s largest advertising agencies, developing national campaigns for Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay and Miller Brewing.” Her previous employers represent a paradox with respect to small, local farmers producing “healthy food for all.”