Racial or social equity framework use among food policy councils and associations with councils’ COVID-19 responses

Food policy councils (FPCs) play a critical role in mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 in their com­munities. This study examines the characteristics of councils that use, develop, or do not use racial or social equity frameworks, and explores how frame­work use relates to COVID-19 responses and part­nerships. Survey data represent 193 FPCs across the United States. Survey questions addressed the following: (a) use of a racial or social equity frame­work; (b) demographic information (e.g., geograph­ical focus, organization type, U.S. region); (c) bud­get and funding, connection/partnership, groups supported, food policy priorities; and (d) COVID-related actions. Means, chi-square tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to describe the association among these factors and FPCs’ racial equity framework use. Results indi­cated that 38% of FPCs use a racial or social equity frame­work to guide their work. Having a full-time posi­tion was the only variable significantly associ­ated with using a racial or social framework. FPCs that use a racial equity framework reported more policy work (e.g., raising funds with community partners, advocating for community food system policies) and were more likely to work with Black, Latinx, and people with disabilities than councils that did not report using a framework. Further­more, councils using a racial or social equity frame­work reported policy priorities related to healthy food access and local food processing and have connec­tions with state-elected officials and social justice groups. Integrating full-time positions dedi­cated to advancing racial and social equity efforts in food policy councils can enhance policy advocacy, strengthen community partnerships, and may increase engagement with marginalized groups such as Black, Latinx, and people with disabilities.