In January 2026, NJFDC began forming an independent Food Policy Council for New Jersey —part of a larger restructuring to strengthen statewide coordination, clarify roles, and bring greater coherence to New Jersey’s food and farm policy ecosystem.

A thoughtful phased build-out of the council first brought together partners who share alignment with statewide food system goals, deep experience across New Jersey’s food system, and long-standing trust to create a foundation for the Council before expanding it to full build-out by summer 2026.

The fully formed council will include diverse range of nonprofit partners who are committed to healthy and sustainable local food systems, and non-voting/advisory seats for government and academic/research members.

Function of the NJFPC: The Council will translate shared needs from across New Jersey’s food and farming sectors into aligned policy priorities, legislative strategies, and public recommendations. It will advance that policy agenda informed by NJFDC working groups and Council members.

Within NJFDC, there is:

1. The New Jersey Food Systems Policy Council (NJFPC) – a formal statewide policy council that brings together cross-sector leaders to shape statewide food system policy.

2. The NJ Alliance for Local Food and Farms  – a farmer-, grower-, and market-led coalition formed by merging the NJ Urban & Small-Scale Farms Coalition and the NJ Inclusive Markets Network.

The Alliance is where food and farm organizations align around shared needs, share resources and best practices, and collaborate on technical assistance and other programming; the Food Policy Council is where those needs get translated into policy priorities.

To learn more about food policy councils, check out the information and resources we’ve compiled here. To receive updates about the NJFPC, sign-up for monthly updates and action alerts.