San Mateo County Food System Alliance
The San Mateo County Food System Alliance (SMFSA) has the following purpose — Through education, collaborative action, and innovation, we strive to support and strengthen the economic viability, environmental sustainability, and social equity within our connected food system, ensuring the health and food sovereignty of all residents of San Mateo County. As the first Food System Alliance in California, founded in 2006, the group has sought to bring together all the parts of the local food system — from production to processing, distribution, preparation, retail, consumption and waste — into a cohesive group capable of creating an ever healthier and more vibrant local food economy. The members of the SMFSA include community based organizations, local government actors, food bank representatives, residents and more.
Throughout their history, the Alliance has worked hard to hear and understand the different perspectives on San Mateo food and farming, from the views of “coast-side” farmers and fishermen working to maintain their livelihoods despite pressures on land and resources, to “bay-side” community service workers struggling against poverty, malnutrition and food insecurity. This is also the first Food Systems Alliance in California to seat both the County’s Agricultural Commissioner and the Public Health Officer, creating an unprecedented opportunity to link local food production to healthy citizens and improve food system coordination.