Anne Arundel County creates food council to improve access in food deserts

BALTIMORE -- Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman announced Tuesday that he intends to sign an executive order that will establish a food council in Anne Arundel County, according to county staff.

The Anne Arundel County Food Council has been tasked with addressing inequity in the food system, creating an inclusive mechanism to launch and coordinate food policies and programs, and reducing food insecurity in Anne Arundel County, county staff said.

Through these efforts, the council will try to improve equitable access to nutritious food, county staff said. 

The establishment of the council comes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, which created widespread concern about food instability in 2020.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Anne Arundel County created a food access workgroup to coordinate efforts among multiple agencies and nonprofits in order to reduce food insecurity in the county, according to county staff.

"The Food Council will build on our work to reduce food insecurity and ensure that our residents have access to the food and resources they need long after the federal funds we used to start these programs have ended," Pittman said. 

The rising cost of living and cost of goods in recent years has increased pressure on people already living under financial restrictions.

That is part of the reason why the council will prioritize the county's low-access areas and analyze the local food economy and food infrastructure in those areas, according to county staff.

Council members will advise the county executive and county agencies on how to improve equitable access to healthy food and culturally-appropriate food, county staff said.

Pittman will sign the executive order on Wednesday morning.