Policy & Advocacy
Our Mission
Our mission is to influence policy that fosters food justice for all and promotes a healthy, equitable, and sustainable local and regional food system to deliver better economic, social, health, and environmental outcomes.
Our
Goals
-
By 2030, ensure that every town and city within our 2 counties are promoting community-led food economies and accessibility within their Community Development Plans and Ordinances.
-
Create and implement community-led Policy, Systems & Environmental Strategic Plans to increase food access for ALL our communities.
-
Collaborate with Local, State and Federal Organizations to inform and advocate for Local, State and Federal Policy Change to Increase Food Justice and Racial Equity.
Actions
Our Policy
Guide
Here you can find what steers our advocacy and organizing in 2025.
Our Work
Our team members, Marion Murphy and Deo Perez, discussing our work with low-income, low access retailers with Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin.
Brújula Comunitaria meeting with Representative McCormick in Growing Gardens to talk about food access in Longmont
Broomfield's Carniceria Chihuahua owners, Marcus and Brenda Chavez, received new equipment and are now better able to provide fresh, local items to their community.
Community members met with Boulder's City Council Members, Adams and Wallach, and Mayor Brockett to discuss challenges to accessing food within Boulder.
2025 Ballot Guide
Stay tuned for this year's ballot initiatives that impact food access within our community
Resources
Bills we watched
Guidance on the rules to advocacy and lobbying
-
Guidelines for 501(c)(3) Public Charities on advocacy work from Bolder Advocacy.
Our Policy Guide
Past Presentations
Our Boulder Comprehensive Plan Recommendations
Transportation
1. The City of Boulder will support strategies and innovations that improve the flexibility, mobility and affordability of connecting people to nutritious foods. A) Support transit service improvements to better connect people to nutritious food sources (retailers, markets, pantries, restaurants, no-cost grocery programs). B) Pursue opportunities to add specially-equipped, grocer-friendly transit services that operate on weekends and off-peak hours and connects directly to stores/markets selling nutritious, local and culturally relevant foods. C) Encourage car-sharing accommodations in multi-family developments. D) Collaborate with regional economic development agencies on efforts to improve and bolster food distribution infrastructure. E) Support innovative mobile food practices that can bring foods closer and directly to under-resourced communities. F) Adopt site design standards for food retailers and markets that provide safe and convenient pedestrian access to the front door. G) Ensure focused transportation investments—on streets as well as neighborhood trails—in areas with populations more dependent on walking, rolling and transit to access their food resources and markets.
Land Use
2. The City of Boulder will support development patterns that preserve agricultural land and decrease the distance between households and food retail options. A) Analyze existing retail patterns. B) Employ an approach to planning processes that treats health equity, nutritious food access, and food systems development as primary considerations when making major land use decisions such as zoning, transportation planning, climate action plans, and other policy changes. (create partner pipeline communication channels) C) Support local zoning, licensing, and/or permitting ordinances that enhance a local food system, specifically in lower-income and historically disenfranchised communities. D) Partner to offer city land and vacant buildings/spaces/lots to expand the capacity to grow, process, distribute, and access local food, particularly for distribution to households in need. (emphasizing BIPOC entrepreneurs and community)
3. The City of Boulder will assess and simplify regulations of food- and farm-related land uses, in order to improve variety and availability of nutritious food outlets and a more sustainable local food system. A) Review and update regulations governing agricultural and land use in support of urban agriculture practices. B) Review and update regulations concerning food access (grocers, small retailers, farmers markets, food stands, mobile food sources, farms) to support growth in the types and ways the community seeks best for them. Support community-driven food environments, specifically within low-income and historically disenfranchised communities. C) Support year-round production of fruits and vegetables through targeted recruitment, easy permitting, and incentive programs, such as jobs, new economic ecosystem and increased food access. D) Conduct Land Reparations
Housing
4. The City of Boulder will support practices that integrate nutritious, fresh and culturally relevant foods in residential settings. A) Encourage public and private single-family and multi-family development models that incorporate land use for food. B) Integrate community gardens and farms into public housing developments and create incentives for community gardens in affordable housing developments that receive public assistance. C) Support a diversity of efforts to make fresh food and nutritious meals available at multi-family properties. D) Assess and expand options for keeping animals such as bees and chickens as appropriate for the size and location of the property, along with the accessory structures they require. E) Use a food systems lens when planning housing development to inform site layout, landscape design, residential amenities, and access to retail food sources.
Climate
5. The City of Boulder will support climate efforts that improve food access and decrease the city’s carbon footprint. A) Support and promote diverse food donations as a step before submitting to city composting program. (Look to Zero Foodprint for language and suggestions) B) Promote diverse and environmentally responsible food systems. C) Encourage climate-smart food production practices. D) Include food access into Emergency Preparedness Plan and Climate Action Plan. E) Support and promote restaurant food waste donation systems.
Economic Development
6. The City of Boulder will support activities that both improve nutritious food access and advance economic development. A) Review and refine ordinances to allow for local food, beverage, and farm-related enterprises. B) Purchase foods from local food businesses when catering events, meetings, and other gatherings. C) Support the development and growth of new, locally owned food and farm related enterprises in the community. D) Address the needs of culturally relevant food businesses that are most vulnerable to involuntary displacement. E) Support the development of living-wage jobs so that community members can afford to purchase the foods they desire and support our local food system. F) Expand efforts to recruit and retain fresh-food retailers in low-income and underserved areas. G) Identify mechanisms for supporting existing food markets (local) and new, while encouraging upgrades in the prominence and marketing of the nutritious, fresh and local foods they offer, specifically in low-income and low-access areas. H) Contribute to efforts that help people meet their basic needs, maintain their independence as long as possible, and remain in their neighborhoods of choice. I) Increase in per capita spending by neighborhood based on needs as identified through a lens of equity. J) Improve quality of life by providing diverse cultural, recreational, and educational opportunities for all members of our community. K) Language Justice – evaluate, identify, create and implement standards for city of Boulder. L) Enhance opportunities for people with low-incomes, disabilities, limited English, cultural barriers, time constraints, transportation limitations, and other barriers to gain access to services they need.
Food Systems
7. The City of Boulder will ensure access for all to affordable, nutritious and culturally-diverse foods in all neighborhoods. A) Encourage public and private efforts that support culturally appropriate food opportunities, including grocery stores, farmers’ markets, pantries, no cost grocery programs and nutrition programs, especially to meet the nutritional needs of infants, children, elders, and other vulnerable populations in their neighborhoods. B) Encourage and incentivize participation in social service programs that provide greater access to locally produced nutritious foods.
Do you have a policy idea?
We'd love to hear your ideas on how to improve our local food system!