News

More than 1,600 amendments have been filed with the Massachusetts House Committee on Ways and Means draft FY26 budget (H.4000). Representatives now have one week to review and consider these amendments before debating and voting on a final budget starts on April 28th. Representatives may choose to cosponsor as many amendments as they wish to […]

The Collaborative organized with HIP farmers and vendors to write this letter to the editor of The Boston Globe, which was published on April 9, 2025. The full list of farmers and vendors that signed on to this letter is: Meg Bantle, Full Well Farm, Adams  Liz Green, Three Sisters Garden Project, Ipswich  Lisa Evans, […]

Register for briefing The Collaborative and our statewide advocacy partners will offer a briefing on our priority legislation for the 2025-26 session via zoom on February 12, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Bills on topics from farmland protection, to food waste, to food security will be discussed, as well as budget priorities for Fiscal Year 2026. Registration is required […]

Plenary: A Conversation with Senator Jo Comerford, Representative Natalie Blais, and MAFSC’s Policy Director Becca Miller – Slides PFAS: A shared environmental obstacle – Notes | Recording This panel discussed PFAS, what they are, and how they impact all food system stakeholders. Speakers shared environmental impacts of PFAS, efforts to address PFAS, and state policy […]

Thank you for your continued support of this event!

As of November 15, the Forum is sold out! Interested in sponsoring? Email [email protected] Forum: December 17, 2024 from 8 am – 4 pm at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA. Here are directions to the event. The Forum will be in the Hogan Center. Agenda The 2024 Massachusetts Food System Forum will […]

The Collaborative had a busy year. We continued to convene our four networks and the Campaign for HIP funding and Campaign for Food Literacy. We organized three successful lobby days and successfully advocated for more than $26M for our budget priorities. The Collaborative also created an internship program, worked with the Department of Elementary and […]

The 2024 MA Food System Forum will take place on Tuesday, December 17th at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester from 8 am – 4 pm. Purchase your ticket here. If the event fee of $60 is prohibitive, we have a limited number of scholarships. To apply for a Forum Scholarship, please fill out […]

The New England Food System Planners Partnership has just released the Regional Food Count 2022, shedding light on local food spending across New England. With $2.2 billion of the region’s $120.6 billion food expenditure going towards local products, there’s a huge opportunity for growth. This report is crucial in the journey towards a more resilient […]

Fiscal Year 2025 budget The legislature’s formal session for 2023 – 2024 wrapped up at the end of July, and while there are some growing calls to return for informal session this fall, things will be quieter on Beacon Hill until the new legislature is seated in January.  The fiscal year 2025 budget was finally […]