Governor creates new Office of Food Security

On Friday, Gov. Mike Dunleavy signed an order to create the Office of Food Security. Designed to protect the health and wellbeing of Alaskans, the office will be responsible for coordinating the state’s efforts related to food security and serving as the first point of contact with agriculture, marine farming, food processing, and other related industries. Additionally, the Office will be responsible for creating marketing materials and presentations that describe the state’s food security efforts and opportunities.

During a video presentation, Dunleavy spoke of the vulnerability many Alaskans face, especially since Alaska imports nearly 95% of its food supply, saying:

“Like many other Alaskans, I enjoy filling my freezer with our wild fish and game, but I also recognize that’s not how every Alaskan can meet their needs,” he said.

Dunleavy also recognized that the years following the pandemic have caused interruptions in the global logistics and just-in-time systems.

“It caused a change in my thinking about what we must do to build a secure food system in Alaska,” said Dunleavy. “We have created the Food Security Task Force. We’re working to open more lands to agriculture and boost our investments in mariculture. We’re working to identify and take down the barriers to increased food production, and today, to further advance this critical objective, I signed an Administrative Order that creates the Office of Food Security within the Governor’s Office.”

Alaska remains an isolated state with limited infrastructure and often relies imports, and with the creation of the office, the Governor is hopeful that Alaska can improve the local production, harvest, and growth of foods and increase access to a sufficient supply of nutritious and safe food.

According to Feeding America, 2021, over 95,000 Alaskans – roughly 1 in 8 – struggle with hunger, with nearly 85,000 Alaskans participating annually in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as Food Stamps). In Alaska, more than 67% of SNAP participants are families with children.

Though hunger and food insecurity are closely related, they are different concepts. Hunger refers to a personal, physical sensation of discomfort, while food insecurity refers to a lack of available financial resources for food at the household level.

The Governor stated that the Office of Food Security has 3 objectives: identify resources and set policies to build a strong, sustainable, and healthy food system in the state to ensure food security for all Alaskans; enhance access to, availability, affordability, and quality of food for all Alaskans; and identify or expand economic opportunities for the state in food production, food processing, and food distribution businesses.

This new office comes after the Governor earlier this year signed Action Order 334, which established the Alaska Food Security and Independence Task Force in response to supply chain disruptions spanning two years of the COVID pandemic.

The Governor’s Office will use existing personnel and monetary resources to implement this Order and stand up the Office of Food Security. Comprised of 20 members, the task force is responsible for recommendations on increasing food production and harvesting in Alaska, and to identify any legislative or regulatory barriers that could impede the state from achieving greater food security. The task force started work this spring and is expected to make recommendations to Dunleavy this fall.