Councilmember Andrew Friedson introduced a resolution to make Montgomery County the first county in the region to join the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Local Food Procurement Challenge. The initiative encourages local governments to use a portion of their existing food purchasing budgets to support local and regional farmers and food producers.
Under the program, each participating jurisdiction designates a local food investment coordinator to work with agencies and departments to increase purchases of locally sourced food and track progress. Officials say the effort is intended to expand opportunities for small farms and food businesses while strengthening the regional food supply chain and improving access to locally grown food.
The initiative also coincides with the launch of Montgomery County’s Food Aggregation Grant Program, which will provide $550,000 to support the creation of a regional food aggregation and distribution facility. The proposed facility would help supply institutions such as schools, hospitals, senior centers, food banks and correctional facilities with locally produced food.
