By Bob Katzen

The Healey administration announced $24.6 million in grants to 163 Massachusetts food system enterprises to help sustain Massachusetts’ food production and distribution sectors.

“Our food system is an integral part of our economy, our landscape, our culture and public health,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. “These investments will help ensure that farmers, fishers, schools, distributors and other stakeholders can continue to produce food and that all Massachusetts residents rely on.”

“As food producers face growing threats from climate change, the [grant] program helps farmers and fishers build resilience so that they can adapt,” said Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “From changing weather patterns to new invasive species to worker health concerns, our food producers must constantly innovate to remain sustainable, and we are proud to help them do so.” 

“As we learned from the COVID pandemic, food insecurity is a real problem in the commonwealth for too many families, said Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee Sen. Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport). “I have made addressing this disparity a priority and have worked closely with the Healey-Driscoll administration to help grow and sustain food production for our farming communities in the state.”