New Jersey Food System Dashboard Launched

June 23, 2024

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — New Jersey residents now have a one-stop source for information on different aspects of the state’s food system, thanks to a new tool designed to build capacity in community non-profits, municipal departments and grassroots organizations to support data-driven decision-making, increased grant funding and tracking of outcomes.

By improving accessibility and transparency of important data relating to the state’s food system, the New Jersey Food System Dashboard helps address one of the key recommendations of the NJ Roadmap for Food System Resilience, which called for increasing knowledge and assessment of key metrics, thereby moving the state towards a more equitable and resilient food system. Funded by a one-year grant from Rutgers Equity Alliance for Community Health, this public tool was co-developed by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Department of Family and Community Health Sciences, NJ Food Democracy Collaborative, community partners from Newark, New Brunswick and Camden, and the Environmental Analysis and Communications Group, which is part of the Center for Urban Policy Research at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.

“We hope this tool will be a valuable resource to government agencies, researchers, community-based organizations, and advocates working across all sectors of the food system.  Our goal is to continue working with these groups to ensure the dashboard is addressing their needs” says Dr. Sara Elnakib, principal investigator.

“This new website will make it much more streamlined, and less time consuming to find and share important information about projects and issues of importance to nonprofit organizations, like ours, and the many other community-based food access and food system organizations that participated in this project. It’s a big advancement for the capacity of NJ’s food system stakeholders,” says Jeanine Cava, Lead Facilitator of NJ Food Democracy Collaborative.

Recent Posts

Tariff Uncertainty and its Impact on Economic Forecasting

R/ECON’s next economic forecast is slated for release in mid-summer, followed by another forecast in the fall. As we track the latest state data and national outlook, we (much like everyone else) have been closely following the news on tariffs, the Fed’s potential...

Heldrich Center: Using Data to Help Bolster Workforce Initiatives

The John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development provides research expertise and analysis to organizations, including the Fed, to help improve education, training, and workforce development programs that affect employers and employees. By Jennie Blizzard, Fed...

NJSPL Announces 2025 Summer Interns

The New Jersey State Policy Lab is excited to announce that the fourth annual summer internship program has begun at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy. Six students have been selected to participate in this year’s program, which will encompass ten...

“Work Trends RU” Podcast with First Lady Tammy Murphy

In the latest episode of the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development's new podcast series, "Work Trends RU," Tammy Murphy, First Lady of New Jersey, discusses her leadership in maternal and infant health in New Jersey, the impacts of the Nurture NJ and Family...

NJSPL: Chatbot for NJ SNAP Services

Working Toward an Equitable Chatbot for NJ SNAP Services New Jersey State Policy Lab, Vignesh Krishnan, Yonaira Rivera, Vivek Singh In New Jersey, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) services are vital for supporting food security among low-income...