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Local Food Initiative
The King County Local Food Initiative (LFI) was first created in 2015 to strengthen the local food system by growing the local food and farm economy and expanding access to healthy, affordable food for all residents. The 2025 update renews this vision with a 10-year roadmap that addresses today’s challenges and prepares for the future. It reaffirms our shared commitment to a food system that is both economically and environmentally sustainable, rooted in equity and justice, and responsive to the voices and needs of communities across King County—from rural to urban. Together, these efforts aim to build a local food system that truly serves us all.
What is the Local Food Initiative?
The Local Food Initiative aims to build a resilient and sustainable local food system that expands the economic opportunities and viability of local farms and food businesses and increases access to healthy affordable food for all residents of King County.
We do this by providing strategic direction around shared food system priorities; harnessing resources for projects and programs; building strong sustainable partnerships; and tracking, measuring, and communicating progress.
How is the Local Food Initiative being updated?
Since its launch in 2015, the Local Food Initiative has served as a roadmap for food policy and action for stakeholders across the region and been the driving force behind innovative programs and projects. The refresh of the LFI presents an opportunity to build off our past success, learn from our failures, incorporate new policy and research, and integrate new voices and communities into the conversation.
The refresh process is expected to take approximately 15 months, with the new LFI completed by early 2025. A central component of the refresh will be engagement with communities and food system stakeholders across the region to help identify key issues and challenges and shape priorities for the new LFI.
To sustain engagement, a new King County Food Systems Advisory Council is being convened to guide both the development and implementation of the new LFI. This council consists of 20 diverse members from across the food system and the county.