Los Angeles Food Policy Council

The Good Food Purchasing Pledge (GFPP) harnesses the purchasing power of major institutions to encourage environmentally sustainable food production, healthy eating habits, respect for workers’ rights, humane treatment of animals and support for the local business economy by providing new opportunities for small and mid-sized farmers and job creation along the supply chain. By building the market for Good Food, GFPP will also provide low-income residents in urban communities access to affordable, healthy, fair and sustainable food options.

The GFPP initiative is the most comprehensive and metric-based food purchasing policy of its kind in the nation and was developed by the LA Food Policy Council (LAFPC). It is a model that can be easily adopted by other cities. Think LEED, but for Good Food. Just as LEED has provided a critical catalyst to the green building movement, we believe our pledge will be a catalyst for the sustainable food movement in Los Angeles and beyond. The successful implementation of LAFPC's program could create a ripple effect, inspiring other cities and states to take action. Funding from LA2050 would allow us to expand the number of institutions participating in the program, thus increasing the positive impact on our local environment, economy and community.

It is well known that the way our food is produced has significant environmental and health impacts. Factory farming has led to a serious public health threat due to water pollution and the routine use of antibiotics for livestock, which contributes to antibiotic resistant bacteria that can cause human infection; food borne illness is a growing problem worldwide. Agriculture is a top contributor of greenhouse gas emissions and air and water pollution, and it consumes over 80 percent of our state’s water. Widespread pesticide use pollutes our air and water and exposes farm workers and neighboring communities; farm workers experience twice the national average of cancer rates.

LA’s regional foodshed, which spans the 200 mile, ten-county region, is the largest producer of fruits, vegetables and nuts in the nation. Yet most of our produce is exported outside the region, often at an economic loss to small and mid-sized farmers. Farmers unable to compete in the global market sell off their land to developers, draining the local economy and also contributing to sprawl. Despite the abundance that surrounds us, many urban residents lack access to fresh and healthy food and consequently suffer from the paradox of hunger and obesity, which disproportionately impacts low-income communities of color.

With 10 million residents (26% of CA's population), LA County accounts for a significant portion of the food purchased in the state. Due to the size of the LA market, leveraging the purchasing power of large institutions to serve healthy, local and sustainable food can offer enormous benefit to our region’s producers, health of consumers and workers, and our natural resources.

Large institutions (hospitals, schools, universities) in Los Angeles serve millions of meals every day. These meals should be healthy and prepared with sustainably sourced ingredients. To help reach this goal, the GFPP recognizes and rewards major meal providers that follow healthy, sustainable procurement practices. Through a point system, the program promotes increasing levels of achievement in five crucial categories: (1) local economies, (2) environmental sustainability, (3) valued workforce, (4) animal welfare, and (5) nutrition. To encourage participation, our program provides technical assistance in sourcing, monitoring progress, and measuring and recognizing success. With a clear standard to aspire to, institutions will demand better ingredients from producers and provide better meals to consumers.

Recent adoption of GFPP by the City of LA and LA Unified School District (LAUSD) marks a major accomplishment in the strengthening of a sustainable regional food system. Through this program, we are working to increase the consumption of Good Food and improve the quality of 750,000 meals served daily by LAUSD and City of LA nutrition programs and facilities. This will also create an economic shift to increase affordability and availability of Good Food, with resulting benefit to the water, air, and public health of all.

Successful implementation and scalability of GFPP requires infrastructure to enable institutions to comply with GFPP’s standards. Funding from LA2050 would help LAFPC recruit more institutions to adopt the Good Food Purchasing Pledge and support implementation efforts, including technical assistance and an annual public recognition event for Good Food Purchasers and Good Food Vendor Showcase at City Hall on national Food Day to celebrate purchasers’ commitment and progress, while facilitating relationships between growers, distributors, vendors and GFPP institutions.