A Federal Roadmap for a Food System That Nourishes Us All

Woman farming

A Federal Roadmap for a Food System That Nourishes Us All

How Federal Policy Can Support Healthy Families, Farmers, and Communities

Our current industrialized food system harms animals, farmers, workers, public health, and the environment, and federal programs have supported this through perverse incentives. Shifting away from this destructive system toward one that nourishes families, farmers, and communities is critically important and growing more urgent every day. 

We are thrilled to unveil a blueprint for necessary changes developed by Farm Sanctuary in collaboration with the Center for Biological Diversity. This groundbreaking Food System Shift Roadmap offers practical strategies to improve our food system for animals, people, and the planet.

Building on the first White House food summit in over 50 years, we engaged with over 2,500 organizations and 150 Congressional offices to identify three key strategies for food system transformation:

1. Nutritional Security Strategy:

Shift resources towards equitable plant-based food production to strengthen nutritional security and support sustainable farming practices.

1-in-4 U.S. families with children faced food insecurity in 2022, and 94% of U.S. adults fail to meet food and nutrition requirements.

2. Community Infrastructure Strategy:

Invest in local, community-driven food systems to enhance healthy food access, support regional economies, and boost supply chain resilience.

$2.1 trillion in annual food system social and environmental costs

3. Food Climate Strategy:

Integrate food into existing national climate strategies by promoting sustainable practices and solutions that improve environmental outcomes and foster a more climate-friendly food system.

~67% of U.S. food system greenhouse gas emissions not measured by the EPA

Underpinned by these strategies, our Roadmap offers dozens of specific policy recommendations that federal officials and policymakers can implement to build a better food system. Rethinking how we invest in food and agriculture can benefit producers, strengthen communities, protect the environment, and increase nutritional security. 

We are immensely grateful for the hundreds of farmers, food system workers, healthcare practitioners, climate experts, lawmakers, and all other partners who have contributed to this transformative project. 

Working together, we can build a food system that is compassionate, just, and sustainable for all.

The Food System Shift Roadmap is available to view in full here, and a one-page summary is available here.

Encourage Congress to Support Plant-Based Foods

Mixed salad of red and yellow tomatoes, arugula leaves, toasted bread cubes, and olives

Please take action to help us build a food system that serves animals, people, and the planet, and urge your Representative in Congress to support the Peas, Legumes, and Nuts Today (PLANT) Act to encourage plant-based foods. This sensible legislation would ensure that farmers and companies producing plant-based foods are eligible for USDA assistance.

Doing your part takes less than a minute: Use our handy form to ask your elected officials to support the PLANT Act!

Act Now