• Senate passes FARM bill

    On April 1, the Senate unanimously passed An Act Fostering Agricultural Resilience in Massachusetts! Many thanks to Senator Comerford for championing this bill for the past several sessions, you can listen to her speech on the floor here. Additional speeches in support were made by Senate Ways and Means Chair Rodrigues and Senate Committee on Agriculture and [...]

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    • Join us: Rally at the State House October 28, 2025

      The Massachusetts Food System Collaborative invites all local food system partners to a rally on the State House steps from 12 – 1pm on Tuesday October 28, in response to the ongoing federal shutdown’s impacts on SNAP and other federal nutrition programs.

      Please arrive at noon for the speaking program to begin at 12:15. We will rally and hold a press availability on the steps (image of the steps on Beacon Street in Boston below), and urge government to act quickly to ensure families get November SNAP on time.

      The Trump Administration should act immediately to fully fund SNAP for November – USDA has emergency funds intended for this exact situation. If the federal government fails to do this quickly, then Massachusetts must step up and use state resources, for example by tapping the estimated $8 billion Rainy Day Fund, to fund SNAP in November.

      SNAP benefits remain available and people should continue to apply – for more information on what’s happening now, please visit this MLRI resource.

      Please RSVP here, and join us on Tuesday.

    • 2025 Local Food Count

      Massachusetts and regional food businesses invited to join 2025 Local Food Count

      The Local Food Count regional campaign invites retailers, grocers, institutions, distributors, food hubs, and restaurants to help strengthen local food systems by tracking local food purchasing and sales.

      Food and beverage establishments and organizations across Massachusetts and New England are invited to participate in the upcoming 2025 Local Food Count, a regional effort to measure how much local food they buy and sell within the six state region.

      The Local Food Count is part of the New England Feeding New England (NEFNE) initiative, which aims to strengthen the region’s food system and increase local food sourcing. By participating, restaurants, schools, distributors, grocers and other food and beverage buyers and sellers headquartered in New England help identify purchasing patterns and uncover opportunities to grow local food procurement across the region.

      All data submitted will be kept confidential and used only in aggregate to inform regional planning. Food related establishments are encouraged to take a pledge to confirm their commitment to the Local Food Count. Pledge materials, prep worksheets, and past results are available online to help get ready for data collection in January 2026, with results shared later in the year.

      Background

      The MA Food System Collaborative and MDAR are members of the New England Food System Planners Partnership (NEFSPP), a collaboration between seven state-level food system organizations and representatives from the six-state agricultural, economic and environmental departments in New England. New England Feeding New England (NEFNE) is the Partnership’s primary initiative and aims to have 30 percent of the food produced in New England consumed in the region by 2030 nefoodsystemplanners.org.

      For more information:  Kristina Pechulis, Kristina@mafoodsystem.org; Bonita.Oehlke@mass.gov; Julianne.Stelmaszyk@mass.gov

    • Thank you to our 2025 Forum sponsors!

      The 2025 Massachusetts Food System Forum is generously sponsored by the following organizations. Interested in sponsoring? Email Kristina@mafoodsystem.org.

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