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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

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

The fiscal year 2026 budget was signed into law by Governor Healey on July 4, 2025. The budget includes $20 million in new funding plus $1 million of carried forward funding for HIP, for a total of $21 million. This should be enough for year-round benefit of $40 for all SNAP households, regardless of size. The Collaborative is continuing to work to secure additional funding so the benefits can be returned to their tiered levels as soon as possible. The budget also includes $1 million for food literacy; level funding of $750,000 FRESH grants and $250,000 for the school wellness coaching program, $250,000 for the local food policy councils grant program, and $14 million for the Disaster Relief and Resiliency Fund. The budget also includes increased funding of $180 million for universal school meals, and $49.5 million for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program.

The Governor vetoed a $300,000 earmark in the MDAR administrative line item, which was to be used to support the marketing department’s work. The budget did not include funding for replacement SNAP, for those who have had benefits stolen by skimming, or funding for SNAP for legally-present immigrant households that were not covered under federal law. Many thanks to the Food System Caucus, especially co-chairs Representatives Hannah Kane, Natalie Blais, Mindy Domb, Andy Vargas, and Senator Jo Comerford, Sal DiDomenico, and Bruce Tarr, for all their championing of the local food system during the budget process.

The Governor introduced the MassReady Act on June 24, 2025. Also known as the environmental bond bill (EBB), the Act authorizes the Governor’s Administration to borrow money over a long period of time, and put money that is authorized into an annual (or two year) capital budget (sometimes referred to as the capital improvement plan). The EBB is only reauthorized once every approximately five years; the last was passed in 2018. The EBB funds many grant programs that are housed in the Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretariat, and proposes $125 million for the Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program, $42 million in new funding and $20 million in carried forward funding for the Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program, and $26 million in new funding plus $26M in carried forward funding for a number of grant programs including the Climate Smart Agriculture Program, Farm Viability Enhancement, and implementation of the Farmland Action Plan. The EBB also contains policy pieces, called “outside sections”, including adding the Division of Marine Fisheries and UMass Extension to the Mass. Food Policy Council. Please consider testifying to support these programs, and additional asks, during the legislative process!

For the first time, the Healey-Driscoll Administration released a two-year capital budget released in June 2025. Concerningly, the Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program is zeroed out in fiscal year 2027. We will keep advocates updated with ways to support FSIG.