November 2014 The Makers & Movers Economic Cluster Strategy: Recommendations for San Francisco Food & Beverage Manufacturers & Distributors report can be found here.

What is an Urban Food System?

An urban food system is comprised of all the elements required to produce, process, distribute, consume and recycle food and food stuffs.

For San Francisco, this includes farms in neighboring counties as well as community and backyard gardens; artisan food and beverage producers, commercial kitchens and incubators; wholesale distributors of produce, grains and meats; restaurants and caterers; food markets and pantries; and, to be sustainable, the composting and re-cycling of food wastes back to food production sites. The functioning of the food system is influenced by market forces, regulatory environment, and the broader social trends and political climate of the day.

 

What Does this Mean to You?

Given the innate human need to eat, we are all participants, whether active or unaware, in the food system. And, our relationship with food and the manner in which we grow, access and consume our food is of increasing interest given the: (1) recognized impacts of agriculture and the food industry on climate change and our environmental resources, (2) the significant potential for food-related businesses to spur local economic development, (3) the opportunities for localized food production, at various scales, to build cohesive communities, (4) and the prevailing public health maladies from an industrial diet, lifestyle and allocation system. In the face of multiple challenges within our current food system, there are just as many opportunities to improve efficiencies and outcomes.

 

Our Food System Policy Program is a collaborative effort with other public agencies, businesses, non-profits, and community members to understand and improve San Francisco's urban food system. Our ultimate goal is to help create a sustainable urban food system that helps the City and County of San Francisco better serve the residents and businesses that are dependent on it for their livelihood and health.

Projects

• Roadmap for City Food Sector Innovation and Investment
• San Francisco Food Industry Cluster Study

Additional Resources

• NEW Board of Supervisors Food Security Task Force
• Webinar recording (8/2/13): Roadmap for City Food Sector Innovation and Investment  video
• North American Food Sector Scan Part 1: Program Scan and Literature Review  Large PDF (14MB)
• North American Food Sector Scan Part 2: Roadmap for City Food Sector Innovation and Investment  PDF (2MB)
• Roadmap Investment Evaluation Tool  (Excel file)
• San Francisco Urban Agriculture Ordinance
• San Francisco Urban Agriculture Program
• Executive Directive for Healthy and Sustainable Food for San Francisco
• Mobile Food Facilities Locational Requirements
• Mobile Food Facilities at Certain Institutions in Specified Districts

For questions or comments, contact:

Diana Sokolove
Food Systems Policy Manager
San Francisco Planning Department
(415) 575-9046
diana.sokolove@sfgov.org

Lisa Chen
Planner
San Francisco Planning Department
(415) 575-9124
lisa.chen@sfgov.org