Kent County
Food System Plan
The Kent County Food Policy Council exists to advocate for and promote a local, good food system.
What is a food system plan and why do we need one?
A healthy, sustainable regional food system can bring economic, environmental, and social benefits to a community. But these benefits don't happen automatically. Food systems need planning, too! Planning brings structure and strategy to local food systems growth, and helps align policies, such as ordinances, zoning, and incentives to support the local food system.
How was this plan created?
The Kent County Food System Plan is informed by a baseline assessment of the county's food system. The Kent County Food System Assessment was completed in Fall 2023.
A comprehensive policy scan of existing food policies in the City of Grand Rapids and Kent County was also completed. The Plan itself involved significant community input.
The Kent County Food Policy Council convened by the Kent County Essential Needs Task Force has led this effort and engaged partners, stakeholders, and community members along the way. New Venture Advisors (NVA), a team of food system planning consultants, was engaged in the fall of 2022 to guide and support the process.
In addition to the Kent County Food Policy Council (FPC), two committees were formed to guide the plan creation process. The stakeholder advisory committee (fourteen members) included representatives from key city and county leadership positions and departments. These committee members helped inform Kent County FPC members and staff about the initiatives in local government aligned with the plan and brainstormed how best to navigate the public adoption process. The key partners committee included more than forty partner organizations and individuals working in the regional food system. This committee helped spread the word about the food system planning process and informed the community engagement strategies.
How to Read this Plan
The Kent County Food System Plan was written to guide the development of an accessible, healthy, diverse, equitable, fair, and sustainable food system in Kent County, Michigan.
The timeline for the plan is ten years, recognizing some actions may be able to be implemented immediately, while others will take years of additional development.
As the plan was developed, it became clear that there were a few key topics that were cross-cutting issues
that didn’t fit clearly into any one goal but were of priority importance to the community. Therefore, these
three topics are called out specifically in the plan and include actions specific to these areas:
Our Timeline
November 2022
Planning process begins, committees formed
January–April 2023
Food policy scan created
January–August 2023
Food system assessment data collected
September 2023–
February 2024
Public Agency conducts community
engagement (round 1)
October 2023
Community Health Needs Assessment survey conducted
March–May 2024
NVA analyzes round 1 findings, drafts actions for public comment
May–June 2024
Public Agency hosts community listening sessions to gather feedback on draft actions (round 2)
July–December 2024
Plan is revised and finalized
Food System Plan Implementation
Moving the plan forward
The Kent County Food System Plan will serve as a guiding document for the Kent County Food Policy Council and our partners for the next ten years. It is a plan that will require community collaboration between a variety of partners—local governments, institutions, nonprofit organizations, residents, and businesses—all working together to improve the local food system.
The Kent County Food Policy Council will guide the Food System Plan through:
Partnership Engagement:
The Council will convene stakeholders to prioritize and work together on recommendations and identify relevant funding
Coordination of Action Items:
The Council will coordinate, track and delegate actions with community partners and members to ensure effective execution.
Progress Assessment:
Regular evaluation will assess and track the success of the plan.
Community Engagement:
The Council engage our community to present findings, gather community input and communicate about progress made
