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Our Positions
◆Food Access Position Statement
◆Food Access Policy Priorities
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Expanding Healthy, Affordable Food Across Florida
At the Florida Food Policy Council (FLFPC), we work to ensure that every Floridian can access healthy, affordable, and culturally relevant food. Access to good food should not depend on zip code, income, or identity. Florida produces food year-round, yet many communities face limited grocery access, rising food costs, and barriers to healthy options. At the same time, farmers and local producers often struggle to reach markets and compete in an uneven food economy. FLFPC brings together residents, farmers, nonprofits, researchers, and policymakers to address the policies and systems that shape food access from farm production to grocery shelves.
How We Work
FLFPC acts as a connector and catalyst, bringing people and ideas together to drive lasting change. We:
Together, we work to improve how food is grown, distributed, and accessed across the state.
Our Core Strategies
Grow Healthy Food Access for All
We support policies and programs that help families afford nutritious food. This includes strengthening SNAP and WIC participation, expanding benefit acceptance at farmers markets and local retailers, and supporting school and summer nutrition programs.
Strengthen Local Food Systems
Resilient local food systems make food more accessible and communities more economically secure. FLFPC supports stronger connections between farmers, food hubs, regional markets, and institutional buyers so local producers can thrive.
Center Community-Led Solutions
People closest to the problem are closest to the solution. Through listening sessions, community forums, and partnerships, we help residents shape policies that affect their food access and local economies.
Advance Equity in the Food System
Historic racial and economic inequities have limited land access, capital, and market opportunities for many Black farmers and producers of color. FLFPC supports policies that expand opportunity and build a more inclusive agricultural economy.
Why This Matters
Despite Florida’s agricultural abundance, many communities face persistent barriers to accessing fresh and affordable food.
Neighborhoods without nearby grocery stores, transportation challenges, and rising food prices all affect how families eat and live. Meanwhile, farmers and food producers face increasing economic and climate pressures.
These challenges are not inevitable. They are shaped by policy choices.
FLFPC works to ensure that the communities most affected by food access challenges are helping shape the policies and investments that build a stronger, more equitable food system for Florida.
Florida Food Access Snapshot
Despite Florida’s agricultural abundance, many communities still struggle to access healthy, affordable food.
➤ Over 2.7 million Floridians experience food insecurity, including hundreds of thousands of children.
Food insecurity affects families across urban and rural communities throughout the state.
➤ Nearly 1 in 7 Florida households struggles to afford enough food.
Rising housing, transportation, and grocery costs are making it harder for families to keep healthy food on the table.
➤ Many neighborhoods lack full-service grocery stores or fresh food options.
Residents in these areas often rely on convenience stores or must travel long distances to buy healthy food.
➤ Small and mid-sized farmers face barriers reaching local markets.
Limited distribution infrastructure, rising land costs, and climate pressures make it harder for farmers to sell locally.
➤ Climate events increasingly disrupt Florida’s food supply.
Hurricanes, flooding, and extreme heat affect farms, transportation, and community food access across the state.
“Florida grows food year-round, yet millions of residents still struggle to access healthy meals.”
