James Beard Foundation® Announces Policy Advocacy Priorities For The Next Five Years

The James Beard Foundation® (JBF) announced today the priorities that will guide its advocacy work through 2028. Championing the needs of independent restaurant chefs and operators, the Foundation will advocate directly for policies that make possible a more equitable and sustainable food system for those in the food and beverage industry and beyond across three pillars: racial and gender equity; sustainability; and industry culture and practices.

As the country’s leading culinary nonprofit in support of the independent restaurant industry, the James Beard Foundation is uniquely positioned to leverage its long support of the chef-operator community to mobilize on behalf of urgently needed policies that touch our country’s food system. As such, JBF has worked in partnership with hundreds of chefs to outline the issues that most greatly impact its constituents. These include:

• Funding and market-access for BIPOC farmers and small producers
• Nutrition security and SNAP expansion
• A living wage and equal pay for all those involved in the restaurant supply chain
• Conservation programs that prioritize soil and water health, as well as food waste and composting
• Tax credits for independent restaurants that offer specific benefits to their employees
• Accelerated visas for foreign food service workers
• Federal funding for mental health programs

“At the James Beard Foundation, ‘Good Food For Good’ is not just a mantra, but a blueprint to creating a more delicious, equitable, and sustainable future,” said Anne McBride, Vice President of Programs, James Beard Foundation, “Indeed, we believe that good food—excellence both on and off the plate—can be a driving force for change. With our new impact priorities, we are committed to working with the independent restaurant community to ensure this vision is reflected in the policies critical to our entire industry and broader food system.”

This represents a natural evolution of the work of the James Beard Foundation. It is the first time that the organization will commit to policy priorities of its own, since launching its chef-advocacy training more than a decade ago.Since 2012, the JBF Chef Bootcamp for Policy and Change has trained chefs across the country to mobilize in support of food system issues they care deeply about. Thanks to these workshops and effort, almost 400 chefs have gone on to successfully advocate for the provision of nutritious school meals, protection of SNAP recipients, support American fisheries, reduction of food waste, and fight for safer, more regenerative food production across the United States with the technical support of JBF. The next Chef Bootcamp—the 25th iteration that will take place October 1-3 at Carnation Farms in Carnation, Wash.—will primarily focus on inspiring chefs to champion a new 2023/24 Farm Bill that will reduce hunger, increase conservation, and address climate change.

In addition to the Chef Bootcamp, the Foundation has expanded its offerings to ensure chefs, culinary leaders, and food advocates have the tools, resources, and support to effectively advocate for meaningful change at all levels of the food system. Ranging from one-hour webinars to half-day workshops to ten-week programs, the Foundation’s advocacy commitments include but are not limited to:

• Chef-supported exchange with lawmakers on the Hill and at home
• Leveraging the JBF voice through national sign-on letters, communications campaigns, and public-facing initiatives
• Educating policymakers and consumers through policy briefs, toolkits, and trainings
• Fostering the collective power of chefs around shared policy priorities and community action

For more information on JBF’s policy priorities, visit: jamesbeard.org/policy-agenda. For more information on JBF’s advocacy efforts, visit: jamesbeard.org/advocacy.