Pittsburgh City Council puts effort to create food justice fund on hold

An initiative to allocate about $1.8 million for a food justice fund has been put on hold, though the councilwoman who spearheaded the proposal said a revised version will likely be reintroduced early next year.

Councilwoman Deb Gross last week introduced a measure that would allocate $1.8 million in federal pandemic relief money for a food justice fund that would support businesses and nonprofits that are part of the city’s food system.

Council tabled that measure Monday, though Gross said there is “real interest to move forward in the new year.”

“We’ll probably change the source of funds,” she said, adding that Mayor-elect Ed Gainey’s team has offered to provide additional policy materials to help them move forward on the proposal.

Gross also sponsored a second piece of legislation calling on the Urban Redevelopment Authority to provide City Council with information on its programs supporting the city’s food system.

If approved, the URA would have 90 days to provide a report outlining job creation within the food industry, the number of food-related businesses the URA has supported, funds distributed to the city’s food system and technical assistance provided to food-related business.

The information can be used to inform discussions on how city officials could address food insecurity and food justice, Gross said, adding that she believed the URA already had the information she is requesting.

That measure was unanimously advanced in a preliminary vote Monday, meaning it will likely be ready for a final vote next week.