Massachusetts Food System Collaborative
Massachusetts Food System Collaborative

Data for food system advocates

To suggest resources for the Collaborative to include, contact Director Winton Pitcoff.

The 2015 Massachusetts Local Food Action Plan included a chapter on Existing Conditions of the MA food system. 

The following is a collection of sites, reports, documents, and other resources that provide good data on the MA food system. If you have additional resources that you don’t see listed here, let us know at [email protected].

Farming

2016 Massachusetts State Agriculture Overview
  Charts of acreage, yield, sales, production value, farmer demographics, and more.

MDAR: Agricultural Resources Facts and Statistics
  State summary of statistics from the USDA Census of Agriculture.

United States Department of Agriculture: Economic Research Service
  State-by-state report of farms’ top crop cash receipts, top production expenses,
  and data points on farm insurance, acreage, income, and total number of farms
  by year since 2008.

Mass Budget and Policy Center: Department of Agricultural Resources Administration
  Chart depicting funding history of Dept. of Ag Resources since Fiscal Year 2001.

UMass Amherst Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment: Massachusetts Agricultural Data
  Data from the Massachusetts Agricultural Census.

Census of Agriculture 2012
  Market value of agricultural products sold, data organized by state.

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
  Interactive table of agricultural statistics.

USDA Economic Research Service
  Massachusetts agriculture data. 

Fishing

Department of Fish and Game: Massachusetts Marine Fisheries
  2016 Annual Report

NOAA Fisheries: Status of Stocks
  Annual report to congress on the status of US Fisheries

NOAA Fisheries Service
  Seafood Industry Impacts – database that can produce reports from custom queries.

New England Region Fishery Management Plans
  Data by state and by species.

Food Waste

Fact Sheet Food Waste Compost 2015
  Information on current capacity of the food waste recycling system, and additional
  resources, in Massachusetts.

Anaerobic Digestion Facilities Processing Food Waste
  List of Massachusetts sites and type of facility.

Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Air and Waste 2017
  List of addresses and contact information for Active Composting Sites in MA.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Postconsumer Food Diverted Through Donation, Animal Feed, Anaerobic Digestion, and Composting for 2013
  Overview of food waste creation, diversion, and management, data by state.

Inputs

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Data Portal
  Search for permitting information and other EEA data.

Food Access, Security and Health

Department of Transitional Assistance: Performance Scorecard
  Charts, graphics, and statistics on Massachusetts DTA’s services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Prevention Status Report
  State-by-state comparisons of measurable health indicators like Food Safety,
  Heart Disease and Stroke, and Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.

Feeding America: Map the Meal Gap in Massachusetts
  Food insecurity statistics in Massachusetts by County.

County Health Rankings and Roadmaps: Massachusetts Food Environment Index
  Interactive map of factors contributing to a healthy food environment by county.

USDA Food and Nutrition Service: SNAP Community Characteristics – Massachusetts
  Data on SNAP recipients statewide and by congressional district.

Centers for Disease Control 2013 State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables
  Data by state on consumption of fruits and vegetables, and related
  environmental and policy indicators.

Energy and Environmental Affairs: Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP)
  Annual reports including MA Grown Summary Report and MEFAP Core
  Food Summary Report

SNAP Retailer Management Year End Summary 2016
  Data on SNAP usage across retailers, by state and type of retailer.

SNAP Retailer Management Annual Reports
  Charts and tables of data on SNAP usage at retail locations, by state and
  type of retailer.

Food Resource and Action Center
  Profile of Massachusetts hunger, poverty, and federal nutrition programs.

Food Resource and Action Center
  Facts on the SNAP program in MA

Food Resource and Action Center
  Interactive mapping tool provides household participation rates for SNAP.

America’s Health Rankings
  Data on various health indicators, including eating habits.

County Health Rankings
  County-by-county indicators on a range of public health issues.

Marketing

USDA’s Farm to School Census

New England Farm to Institution: Metrics Dashboard – Landing Page
  Data about institutional procurement of local foods.

Workforce

MA Food System Establishments, 2002-2015
  Graph of types of agencies within the food system from 2002-2015.

MA Food System Jobs, 2002-2015
  Graph of types of jobs within the food system from 2002-2015.

Bureau of Labor Statistics – Massachusetts
  Updated employment statistics by town.

Other data

US Census Bureau
  Population demographics in Massachusetts.