Boston city councilor and mayoral candidate Michelle Wu and City Fresh Foods executive officer Sheldon Lloyd penned an opinion piece for the Boston Globe on how the city can tackle economic recovery, food insecurity, and close the racial wealth gap at the same time. One of the key strategies is local, values-driven purchasing:

“Boston’s Good Food Purchasing ordinance already requires preference for local, sustainable, fair, and equitable meals contracts, building on earlier legislation to require reporting and preference for equity in city contracting. For all public contracting, the city needs to go beyond executive orders and require legislative accountability for leveraging city spending to slow the tide of commercial gentrification. Diversity of vendors can’t simply exist as a goal — follow-through and accountability must be prioritized.”

Read more at The Boston Globe (full article behind paywall)

Image: Roberto Dos Reis prepares a takeout order at Soleil in Roxbury, in January. JONATHAN WIGGS/GLOBE STAFF