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Examples of NC Food Assessments

The Tri-COG Food Ecosystem Economic Development Strategy

Summary

A collaboration between Upper Coastal Plain, Central Pines, and Kerr-Tar Regional Councils of Government

The Tri-COG Food is a regional food planning initiative to shorten supply chains, drive economic development, create quality jobs, enhance resilient practices, and foster equity in the greater region’s food system. 

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NC State Extension Community Food Assessments

For other examples of Baseline Assessments

This page links to resources that support development of community food assessments. Examples of existing North Carolina assessments are also included.

  • Community Food Security Assessment Toolkit Resource developed through USDA Economic Research Service providing a toolkit of standardized measurement tools for assessing various aspects of community food security. 2002.
  • Community-based food system assessment and planning (Facilitator’s Guidebook) Publication serves as a guidebook for facilitators assessing and planning community-based food systems. It provides a process for gathering stakeholders using the “Community Capitals Framework” (Flora, Flora, and Fey 2003) and assessing community food systems. 2011 Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication 3108-9029.
  • Food System Resilience: A Planning Guide for Local Governments A planning guide guide aimed at helping local governments build food system resilience in a way that promotes equitable and just food systems from John Hopkins Center for A Livable Future. 2022.

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Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments Healthy Food Assessment Mapping Project (2021) 

Summary

… Over 40 stakeholder organizations engaged with 6 lead entities to gather unprecedented input from 400+ people in the Upper Coastal Plain Region.  Input was combined with data to analyze and assess the region’s local healthy food system and make over 65 recommendations in the areas of Access, Community Development & Planning, Community Gardens & Land-use & Urban Agriculture, Farms, Finance, Institutional Purchasing, and more.  

[Included] is a Project Summary presentation, a “deep dive” story board, the detailed Healthy FAM Assessment Report, and a Food System Map.  Work shows known assets in the region from fresh food growers, distributors, processors, outlets, business consumers and more.  Key health and economic information is also included.  Information is intended to be leveraged by anyone wanting to further study, improve, and/or develop the local, healthy food system in an equitable and sustainable way. 

Piedmont Regional Triad Council Food System Assessment (2020) 

Project Summary

… The assessment was intended to develop a comprehensive baseline for understanding the regional food system; examine economic opportunities for strategic investments; and create a sense of shared ownership and equity principles for the region and the local advocates who made up the food system.

Beaufort County Community Food Assessment (2019)

The 2019 Beaufort County Community Food Assessment uses data from a variety of sources to provide a holistic view of Beaufort County’s food system. The purpose of this assessment was to summarize both primary and secondary data to inform the strategies of the Beaufort County Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Food Council and Collaborative and its goals to improve access to healthy foods, support local farmers and increase food security. This assessment builds upon a previous assessment done in 2013 to describe Beaufort County’s local food system and food environment. It was conducted with funding from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust and was made possible in partnership and collaboration with the Beaufort County HEAL Food Council and Collaborative, Rural Forward NC (Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation) and Partnerships to Improve Community Health (PICH) (Albemarle Regional Health Services).

Orange County's Baseline Assessment (2016)

Executive Summary

This Community Food Assessment is a compilation of data offering a holistic view of Orange County’s food system. The report aims to inform the Orange County Food Council in its effort to support a socially, economically, and environmentally just food system that provides safe, culturally appropriate, and nutritious food.

Our food system is a complex and interwoven network that includes the following components: production, processing, distribution, consumption, and food waste management. The assessment reports on each of those categories and used the Whole Measures Framework, adapted from the Center of Whole Communities, to guide data collection and analysis. Data was compiled in the fall of 2015, primarily from public resources. Interviews with a few stakeholders were also conducted to fill in gaps and add context to specific data. Additional stakeholder interviews would add useful context and information to future assessments.

Pitt County's Baseline Assessment (2016) 

Introduction

The Pitt County Food Council Task Force (PCFCTF) is working to establish and maintain
relationships among diverse organizations and community members in an effort to strategically
shift our food system to one that is more supportive of the local community. Food Councils
include representatives from all parts of the local food supply chain, which provides an
opportunity to address community food system betterment on a macro level. For that reason,
PCFCTF is working to become a community leader in understanding our food system and in
creating a charter to establish a food council to serve the Pitt County community.

So, to better understand our community food system, we decided to participate in a pilot project
with Community Food Strategies on baseline food system assessments across North Carolina.
Olivia Whitt, a student at East Carolina University, under the guidance of the Community Food
Strategies team and members of the PCFCTF, completed this assessment in July 2016.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Baseline Assessment (2015)

Executive Summary

Nationally and locally, chronic disease is rising at alarming rates: 61% of Mecklenburg County residents are overweight or obese and our rates of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are on the rise. Diet and access to healthy food are essential to preventing and treating these chronic diseases, yet only 11% of residents eat the recommended daily number of servings of fruits and vegetables. A key factor is that access to healthy food is not equally available. This study of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County focuses on food access based on availability, affordability, and quality within neighborhood environments. Our overarching question is to see how the local food system has changed in the past five years to provide fresher, healthier, and safer foods through improved food access and food security for all Charlotte and Mecklenburg County residents.

In revisiting the 2010 Mecklenburg County Community Food Assessment, we focus our analysis on food insecurity, which is a more nuanced understanding of households and food access. While “food desert” is primarily a geographic
distinction that tells us about food availability within a low-income community, it does not reveal enough about food security. Food security is more about the lived experience of households. By looking at food security we can begin to explore alternative strategies and policies for combating hunger and improving health in our community.

Forsyth County's Baseline Assessment (2013)

Executive Summary

In Forsyth County, North Carolina there is a renewed interest in local foods, including the growth of farmers markets, community gardens, buying co-ops, and local food advocacy groups. New efforts demonstrate an interest in eating locally. There is a an evolving vision of a community with a food system that is economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable that is the result of promoting a strong local food economy, ensuring producers and food system workers a
fair and sustainable livelihood, and providing all residents with access to fresh and healthy foods. However, the actual and potential social and economic impacts on the community are not yet clear. Thus, there was a need to study the impact and
gain a greater understanding of the role of local foods in the current community food system.

With support from the Forsyth County Government and the Winston-Salem Foundation, Forsyth Futures led a team comprised of staff and local/state experts that conducted an objective assessment of the current community (local) food
system in Forsyth County. It is hoped that the results will serve as a catalyst to maximize the impact of local foods.

For the purpose of this study, local foods were defined as “fruits, vegetables and livestock that are produced and raised, or processed within Forsyth Count and the seven surrounding counties.” The community food system was further defined to include producers, processors, and distributors that serve Forsyth County, and the outlets through which consumers in Forsyth County purchase local food. Because a high portion of local foods consumed in Forsyth County are produced in surrounding counties as well as Forsyth, the decision was made to include food produced in the seven surrounding counties.

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