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Some of the Ways Foodvocate LLC Can Help

Foodvocate LLC helps communities and organizations explore and identify policy options and design strategies to support their food systems goals:

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Consulting for Local Public Health and Other Local Government Teams

Across the country, public health departments, planners, other government staff, and policy makers are recognizing the need for improved policy to support food systems that better nourish their communities and foster local food economies. Foodvocate LLC draws on years of experience to help state, county and city governments understand current policy barriers to food access and better food systems and to identify policy solutions to support community led efforts. Foodvocate LLC can provide one-on-one or small group consultation sessions, followed by a summary of research, recommendations, and findings. 

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Consulting for Food Policy Organizations

Food policy councils and similar community-based groups have tremendous power to influence systems change within the jurisdictions where they focus. Foodvocate LLC can help these organizations by supporting staff to help the group navigate organizational challenges, divergent group-member priorities, and other road blocks to help navigate clear pathways forward for meaningful food systems change through policy work.

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Legal Research to Support Food Policy Scholarship and Policy Change Efforts

As a leading expert in state, county and municipal food legal research, Foodvocate LLC offers a range of research technical assistance including state and local government law searches, policy scans, and comparative policy analyses. Foodvocate LLC can also create and monitor proposed legislation and rule changes. 

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Policy Drafting 

Foodvocate LLC offers expertise in working with policy groups to develop model policy language. Similarly, Foodvocate LLC can work with government attorneys and legislative bodies to develop finalized policy language that supports community-driven initiatives. 

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Food Policy Training

Are you part of a city, county or other local government team, food policy council, PAC, nonprofit coalition, or other group and looking to increase general knowledge of your team members about the various policy tools and strategies that can be used to increase food access, improve local food economies, encourage land stewardship, support workers' rights, or promote equity in your local food systems? Foodvocate LLC can provide private training for your team in-person or virtually.

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Food Policy Audits 

These inventories can help policy makers, coalitions, food policy councils and other groups understand the current policy landscape in their communities and opportunities to adjust and add policy levers to improve food systems. They can be a logical next step, or complement to a food systems assessment. Foodvocate LLC has the depth of knowledge and experience navigating and analyzing local and state food policy options needed to take on this work and provide you with the information you need to move forward with your food policy goals. 

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Nutrition Affairs for "Good Food" Organizations 

Advocates and government affairs experts working for organizations that are committed to equitable food systems that support people and the planet can rely on Foodvocate LLCs policy nutrition affairs research and analysis skills to inform next steps and possibilities for proactive action. Services include:

  • policy analysis,

  • model legislation drafting,

  • preparation of customized updates,

  • drafting federal administrative filings,

  • developing policy databases/indexes,

  • and ghost-writing for journal and periodical articles, presentations, and white papers.​

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Resource Development

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Advisory Committee Services Food Security and Related Efforts

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Customized State and Federal Policy Newsfeed and Update Services

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Youth Coalition Food Policy Training 

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Public Speaking

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Content Development for Culinary Projects and Publications

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Customized Consulting

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Options for Legal Services

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While Foodvocate LLC can provide background legal research and policy guidance, it is not organized to provide legal representation services including:

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(1) Giving advice or counsel to persons or entities as to their legal rights or responsibilities or to those of others;

(2) Selecting, drafting, or completing legal documents or agreements that affect the legal rights of a person or entity;

(3) Representing a person or entity before an court or administrative law panel, including, but not limited to, preparing or filing documents or conducting discovery; or

(4) Negotiating legal rights or responsibilities on behalf of a person or entity.

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Foodvocate LLC Principal, Amanda Karls, is licensed to practice law in Minnesota. If you are dealing with a legal matter in Minnesota and need legal representation, or are an attorney in another state and wish to associate with her for legal research on food policy-related issues, brief writing, amicus brief contributions or other legal matters, you may contact Amanda to discuss options in her separate capacity as an attorney at amandajgkarls@gmail.com.

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If you need legal representation outside of Minnesota on matters related to your food policy or business goals, please contact an attorney in your area. 

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