February 27, 2017

By London Muegge, Education Intern

Contact: Chelsea Matzen, 202-554-1600
[email protected]

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is currently seeking projects to invest in that will help achieve the goals of the Massachusetts Local Food Action Plan and contribute to the viability of agriculture in Massachusetts, which could include investing in food, and particularly produce, safety. The deadline to submit your proposal is March 15, 2017 by 4 p.m. For information on submitting your proposal, follow this link.

MDAR launched the Massachusetts Local Food Action Plan in 2013 to address the opportunities and challenges of Massachusetts’s local food system. The four main goals of the plan are: to increase production, sales, and consumption of Massachusetts-grown food; create jobs and economic opportunity in food and farming, and improve the wages and skills of food system workers; protect the land and water needed to produce food, maximize environmental benefits from agriculture and fishing, and ensure food safety; and reduce hunger and food insecurity, increase the availability of healthy food to all residents, and reduce food waste.

The Local Food Safety Collaborative, a project dedicated to helping small local food producers and processors comply with applicable Food Safety Modernization Act regulations, would like to encourage those local producers located in Massachusetts to consider applying. This funding opportunity could help off-set costs as producers plan for changes in their food safety activities

For more information on the Massachusetts Local Food Action Plan, please visit http://mafoodsystem.org/plan/.