Project New Village wins national food justice award in San Diego

Project New Village and co-founder Diane Moss were honored at the 2026 Power Of The Plate Conference in San Diego for work expanding healthy food access and community-led food system change. The award spotlights a local model aimed at improving health, equity and economic opportunity in underserved neighborhoods. Why it matters: - Project New Village’s recognition puts San Diego’s food justice work on a national stage. - The award highlights a community-led model that links healthy food access with neighborhood health, economic development and resilience. - The honor signals growing attention to food system changes that can improve outcomes in historically underserved neighborhoods. What happened: - Project New Village received the John Barnard Uplifting Communities Award at the 2026 Power Of The Plate Conference. - The conference ran May 14-17 at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego. - Diane Moss, co-founder and managing director of Project New Village, accepted the award. - Moss is one of the nonprofit’s 12 original co-founders. - The award was presented by The Plantrician Project and the Vitamix Foundation. The details: - Project New Village focuses on food justice, urban agriculture and healthy food access. - The organization’s Good Food District initiative connects urban agriculture, healthy food access and economic development. - The Good Food District is designed to strengthen food-insecure neighborhoods. - The nonprofit has spent more than a decade building community-led food system programs. - Its work aims to increase access to healthy food, strengthen local food economies and give residents more control over neighborhood change. - The award recognizes organizations expanding access to whole-food, plant-based nutrition while building healthier, more equitable and resilient communities. - Scott Stoll, MD, co-founder of The Plantrician Project, said Project New Village exemplifies the spirit of the award and is helping communities use food to improve health and well-being. - The award also reflects the legacy of retired Vitamix CEO John Barnard and his focus on nutrition, wellness and community health. - The conference brings together physicians, researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, educators, advocates and changemakers focused on chronic disease, nutrition insecurity, food system resilience and environmental sustainability. - Power Of The Plate builds on the earlier International Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference. - The conference website includes information on the 2027 waitlist: More information - Details on the award are available here: the award page - Project New Village’s website is here: Project New Village Between the lines: - The award reinforces a broader shift toward treating food access as a community development issue, not only a nutrition issue. - Project New Village’s model suggests local food systems can be used to address multiple problems at once, including health disparities and economic exclusion. - The conference’s mix of healthcare, agriculture and policy leaders points to a cross-sector push for food-system solutions. What’s next: - Project New Village is likely to keep expanding its Good Food District work and other community-led programs. - Power Of The Plate is already building interest for its 2027 gathering through a public waitlist. - The award may help draw more attention to San Diego as a testing ground for food justice and plant-based health initiatives. The bottom line: - The recognition gives Project New Village a national platform for a local strategy aimed at healthier, more equitable neighborhoods.