Seattle Mayor highlights plan to fight local food insecurity

Seattle Mayor Harrell announces ‘Food Action Plan’

Not having enough food to eat and not knowing where your next meal will come from is a daily struggle for more than 47 million people in the U.S., according to Feeding America.

SEATTLE - Not having enough food to eat and not knowing where your next meal will come from is a daily struggle for more than 47 million people in the U.S., according to Feeding America.

In an effort to fight the food insecurity crisis, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell released the city’s first "Food Action Plan Update" on Thursday.

Mayor Harrell said in Seattle alone, 10% of adults face food insecurity daily. But in other parts of the city, and when it comes to families of color, those numbers are two-to-three times higher.

Harrell said Washington produces half a million tons of food waste every year, which is enough to make 105 meals for every person in the state. Around 30-40% of the food that goes into local landfills is food waste.

"With school starting, can a student really concentrate on their studies when they’re hungry? Can an adult reach their full potential when they’re hungry? They cannot in a city full of resources. If we are to be everything we can be, this work is essential," Harrell said.

The plan is comprised of 45 very specific actions, including purchasing local food sources, strengthening food banks, implementing strong labor protections for farmworkers and assisting small food businesses.

"We are so excited about this plan because it is our city’s vision and guide for an equitable, sustainable, resilient food system. It’s crucial to building a thriving, healthy Seattle for every person who lives here," one of the speakers said on Thursday.

Harrell announced that 250 community partners are working together to make this plan happen.

Safeway is among them. A representative shared how their store teams have created process improvements and innovations to ensure that the highest quantity and quality of unsold food is re-distributed to community agencies.

Councilmember Tanya Woo, Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth, as well as representatives from Byrd Barr Place and Dr. Kimberly McClain from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development also spoke at the event.