Center for Good Food Purchasing Supports Resident Coalitions in Los Angeles and the Bay Area

The Issue

There are many initiatives across California to increase the demand for locally grown and raised food, particularly the demand of anchor institutions like hospital systems, city agencies, school districts, colleges and universities. These institutions’ large size and reliable dining population make them a logical target for building market demand, but their size and bureaucratic processes can become a barrier to many local producers and food hubs. 

The Center for Good Food Purchasing believes that public institutions that receive public dollars to serve meals to the public can be using those funds for the public good, supporting local, environmentally sustainable food producers who treat workers and animals fairly to nourish communities. But we also see that institutions have many competing priorities that affect their budgets, staffing, and programming. And unlike private institutions, public institutions are subject to local policies that describe priorities and help jurisdictions achieve their goals.

Our Response

Supported by the Southwest Regional Food Business Center (SWRFBC), the Center for Good Food Purchasing, along with SWRFBC partners Los Angeles Food Policy Council and Community Alliance with Family Farmers, as well as  Fullwell have been working together to support resident coalitions in Los Angeles and the Bay Area to advance local policies that encourage public institutions to purchase good food. The SWRFBC offers the convening power, authority, and funding to help organizations like these coordinate across their multiple programs to exponentially increase their impact in the region. This partnership has resulted in efforts including galvanizing a San Francisco-based coalition to advocate for a new resolution supporting Good Food Purchasing for all city and county agencies and supporting efforts in the City and County of Los Angeles to deepen their commitments to good food. Resulting policies will support public agencies to prioritize good food goals, thereby creating a more reliable institutional market for regional farmers.