Institutionalizing food systems planning: the role of food policy councils

States are increasingly considering and creating food policy councils (FPCs) as a way to examine, create, and evaluate food policy. State level food policy councils remain a relatively new and untested approach to addressing issues within the food system. Given the proposition that food policy councils offer a forum for diverse organizations and individuals to examine the conditions of a state's food system and recommend policy improvements, this research aims to explore how food policy councils work, what benefits they might create, and what states could expect from food policy councils. Based on the experiences of eight state level FPCs, this research shows that councils can increase awareness about food system issues; guide food policy to address the root of food-related problems and concerns; and increase communication and coordination between government agencies and a variety of organizations and individuals. Taken together, these initial effects indicate that FPCs play a role in addressing problems within the food system while laying the groundwork for integrated food systems planning at the state level. In addition, this paper argues for the inclusion of planner s as stakeholders in food policy councils as well as the inclusion of food systems in the planner's agenda.Master of City and Regional Plannin