Insights & Reports

Food systems are not just about what’s on our plates—they are at the heart of our greatest social and ecological challenges. They shape climate outcomes, public health, economics, and cultural resilience. 

Our Resources & Insights hub is a work in progress, providing deep dives grounded in quantitative and qualitative methods. You’ll find evaluations of school-based programs, staffing and infrastructure analyses, equity assessments, systems mapping, and more.

  • During the 2024-25 school year, 118 districts across the United States participated in The Chef Ann Foundation’s Healthy School Food Pathway (HSFP) and were invited to complete the survey, with a strong majority located in California. Survey findings from 66 districts that hosted Pre-Apprenticeship, Apprenticeship, and Fellowship programs in the 2024-2025 school year yielded promising results. Read the full report, conducted and authored by FIG, here and our key takeaways.

  • Co-authored by Rebecca Harnik, Gabriela Armendáriz, Eva Ringstrom, Yasmeen Lee, and Beth Katz, this study examines the progress of California’s workforce development program within school food services. The full report shares insights on training efficacy, skill development, and systems-level impact. Learn more here.

  • Since the early 2000s, farm to school programs have been vital to California schools and farming communities. They promote healthy eating, support local economies, and foster a stronger connection with the food students eat and those who produce it. FIG co-authored for the ​​California Department of Food and Agriculture, through funding from the State of California, this interim report of our findings on the Farm to School Grant Program. Learn more here.

  • Co-led by FIG, this evaluation reviews the state’s forward-thinking investment in farm-to-school initiatives. The 2024 report highlights progress, challenges, and lessons for scaling equitable, sustainable food systems. Learn more here.

  • In partnership with the Urban Institute, FIG explores economic challenges like wages, housing, and job competition in the school food workforce. Authored by Nathan Sick, Julia Payne, Beth Katz, and Debbie Friedman. Learn more here.

  • This data-driven analysis reports vacancy and turnover rates in California's school nutrition services for the 2022–2023 school year. Authored by Eva Ringstrom and Debbie Friedman. Learn more here.

Priority Focus Areas

FIG's applied research supports multiple domains of food systems transformation:

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Farm-to-School & Institutional Food Projects

Ongoing evaluations include California's Incubator Grant program, farm-to-hospital procurement in North Carolina, and support for school-based food systems statewide. 

Food is Medicine

In partnership with Seeds of Change Consulting and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, FIG launched its work in this field by conducting qualitative surveys and listening sessions across North Carolina.

SNAP Nutrition Security & School Food Workforce

FIG launched its work in this field by collaborating with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) to explore SNAP’s role in community nutrition out of North Carolina, and studying job quality, wages, and workforce conditions in school food services across California.

  • "Investments in farm-to-school program stabilize farms, expand climate-friendly farming practices."

    University of California, Agriculture & Natural Resources

  • "California’s Farm to School program is bringing business and climate-friendly practices to farms."

    The Hill

  • "Small farmers are more squeezed than ever. A California grant program offers a lifeline."

    Grist