Late last month, City Council President Kenyatta Johnson joined members of Council’s Food and Nutrition Security Task Force to release recommendations aimed at improving food access, strengthening local food systems and addressing food insecurity across Philadelphia.
The report comes as recent reductions in federal nutrition support, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit losses and cuts to nutrition education programs, have increased pressure on local food access systems.
Established through City Council Resolution and introduced by Johnson, the task force spent 17 months examining food insecurity challenges and developing recommendations for Council and other stakeholders. The effort brought together leaders from food access organizations, nutrition experts, healthcare professionals, urban agriculture stewards, philanthropic and community organizers. The Food and Nutrition Security Task Force was one of the first task forces created by Johnson when he became president in January 2024.
The report concludes that Philadelphia needs a more coordinated approach to food and nutrition security and identifies the following three priorities:
- Establish a permanent coordinating structure
- Stabilize food access systems amid reductions in federal support, and
- Ensure residents with lived experience of food insecurity have a role in decision-making and implementation.
“Lack of access to healthy and nutritious food remains a challenge for hundreds of thousands of Philadelphia residents,” Johnson said. “I am grateful to the members of the Task Force, and residents who contributed their time, expertise and experience throughout this process. City Council looks forward to continuing work with stakeholders across the city to identify opportunities that support healthier, stronger communities.”
Johnson added that he intends to introduce legislation this fall to establish a permanent Office of Food and Nutrition Security and will spend the summer working with the Parker administration, Task Force members and community stakeholders to develop the proposal.
The Task Force was co-chaired by George Matysik, executive director of SHARE Food Program, and Mark Edwards, president and CEO of The Food Trust.
“This is a historic moment in the battle against hunger and inequality in our city,” Matysik said. “At a time when the affordability of nutritious food is falling further out of reach for America’s working class, I am proud to live in a city that is addressing both the root causes and the symptoms.”
The report’s recommendations are organized into four areas; Governance and accountability; immediate stabilization and resident access; food production and economic systems; and health, education and human development.
Among the recommendations is the creation of a permanent Food & Nutrition Security Coordination Office responsible for coordinating efforts across city agencies, healthcare systems, schools, community organizations, emergency food providers, philanthropy and local food producers.
The report also calls for expanded SNAP and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children enrollment support, community-led food access strategies in every Council district, implementation of Philadelphia’s Urban Agriculture Plan, investment in food infrastructure, procurement reforms, expanded nutrition education and development of a coordinated Food as Medicine strategy.
The recommendations were informed by working group meetings, public testimony, community listening sessions, stakeholder interviews and engagement with residents throughout 2025 and 2026. Strategic planning and facilitation support was provided by Dwayne Wharton and the Just Strategies team.
The full report will be used to inform future policy discussions, legislative proposals, funding priorities and collaboration among stakeholders working to improve food and nutrition security in Philadelphia. ••
