What is a Community Food System?

2014- the Piedmont Triad Regional Council (PTRC) identified food insecurity as a major issue in the region, and the PTRC engaged with Policy Link, Piedmont Together, and UNC Environmental and Regional Equity to produce the Equitable Growth Profile of the Piedmont Triad Region.

2015- the PTRC partnered with Piedmont Together and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) to complete Local Farm and Food Profiles for each county.

2016- the PTRC partnered with Community Food Strategies (CFS) to host a regional gathering of local councils. University of North Carolina Greensboro students collaborated with PTRC and CEFS to complete the Harvesting Regional Potential: Research and Recommendations for a Regional Food Council in the Piedmont Triad Community Report.

2017- the PTRC collaborated with key stakeholders to develop the Piedmont Triad Initial Food System Review, and the Regional Food Task Force was formed as a foundation for the food council.

2018 & 2019- the PTRC secured USDA funding to support food council work and leverage a Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC Foundation 4 -year investment opportunity.

2019- the Piedmont Triad Regional Food Council (PTRFC) was formed. The PTRFC had their first meeting on April 29th, 2019. The council is represented by approximately 18-25 members that seek to fulfill the goals and objects of the PTRFC. In order to accomplish this, the PTRFC holds monthly full council meetings and workgroups. 

2020- the PTRFC began a year-long effort that included community engagement and data collection in all 12-counties. The Council hosted a Food Talks Series with a variety of speakers and topics related to food system issues in the region.

2021- the Regional Food System Assessment was completed and Council hosted a virtual launch event to share the findings. That event was called Learn-Build-Eat and is archived on this site. Council began delivering Partner Presentations to Board of Commissioners, healthcare organizations, colleges and universities, to share the food assessment information.

2022- the PTRFC held a Team Strategic Planning Retreat (March) and an Action Planning Session (July) to identify and prioritize goals for the coming year.