Check out our April 2025 newsletter for updates on GFPP leaders in Pennsylvania, California, and Illinois; the Center’s travels across the country; advocacy for farmer and food systems protections; and more.
April Newsletter: Center for Good Food Purchasingπ Good Food updates, resources, & highlights
The Center has launched into the spring season with inspiring visits with partners across the country, the completion of half a dozen institutional assessments, and an invigorating staff retreat in the Bay Area, where we sharpened our vision and plans in pursuit of the future of Good Food.
βPittsburgh Public Schools is well on its way to meeting its goals for procuring more sustainable and nutritious food for students.
βDistrict leaders on [April 16] shared with local stakeholders the results of a baseline assessment of the districtβs food purchasing practices during the 2022-2023 school year. The report, compiled by the Center for Good Food Purchasing, found that more than 15% of the districtβs $5.6 million food budget that year was spent on items from local and family-owned suppliers.
ββIt's something since 2017, we've been talking to our produce vendors and saying, βWe want local,ββ said chef Malik Hamilton, the districtβs director of food services.β
Congratulations to Pittsburgh Public Schools, Chef Malik Hamilton, Sarah Buranskas and the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, and the entire community of Good Food Pittsburgh leaders on their exemplary collaboration!
Β
County of Santa Clara hospitals elevate CA healthcare food system as Good Food Bronze Leaders
All three County of Santa Clara hospitals completing their second annual GFPP assessment earned Good Food Leader: Bronze distinctions through their commitment to implementing Good Food Purchasing Program Standards.
Institutions awarded the Bronze seal have worked with the Centerβs Assessments and Analytics team to complete an assessment of one year of food purchasing data, have made a commitment to report annually on fundamental strategies for Good Food Purchasing Program implementation, and have co-developed an action plan with the Centerβs team to work toward Gold status.
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC) invested nearly 25% of its total food spend ($460k) in products that are grown or processed by family or cooperatively-owned suppliers within 250 miles of the institution and an additional 5% in food grown or processed within 50 miles of the institution, with items from Blossom Foods' Oakland location contributing significantly to this performance.
VMC also exceeded valued workforce and community health and nutrition targets, and initiatives such as a weekly farmers market that accepts EBT and surveys patients on food insecurity delivered a strong performance in health equity.
OβConnor Hospital met the purchasing target in the valued workforce category with $423k (or 28% of its total food spend) qualifying as fair. OβConnor also has shown a commitment to aligning their policies and practices with the goals of each value category even outside of purchasing decisions, such as using compostable utensils and highlighting suppliers with high animal welfare practices like Cream Co. Meats.
OβConnor earned credit for 10 such additional strategies, including one in each value category β which is the required amount for Good Food Leader: Gold status.
St. Louise Regional Hospitalβs (SLRH) investment in more resilient supply chains and a vibrant local economy included $28k spent on products grown or processed by small family or cooperatively-owned suppliers within 250 miles of the institution.
SLRH also met the purchasing goal for the valued workforce category, with 25% of total food spend invested in products produced, processed, or distributed by suppliers with a unionized workforce, in addition to employing fair values in its own environment.
Β
Cook County Sheriffβs Office documents commitment to Good Food principles
In its second annual Good Food Purchasing Program assessment, the Cook County Sheriffβs Office (CCSO) has established itself as a leader in meeting multiple benchmarks related to Equity, Accountability, and Transparency.
Cook County, Illinois, stands at the forefront of the Good Food Purchasing Program movement, having successfully implemented GFPP policies across a wide range of departments and institutions within the region. In 2023, both Cook County and CCSO reaffirmed their commitment to food justice and sustainable procurement by establishing and publicly sharing a diverse purchasing plan.
CCSO has invested $651k into locally processed foods and partnered with small, local suppliers in the Greater Chicago area including Edible Cuts (Midwest Foods); Cristina Foods, Inc.; and McMahon Food Corporation. CCSO also demonstrated commitment to a food system with safe and healthy working conditions by investing $675k in suppliers with a union contract.
Β
LAUSDβs fifth program assessment shows commitment to values within $163M food spend
In its fifth annual assessment in the Good Food Purchasing Program, reflecting purchasing for the 2021-2022 school year, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) demonstrated significant progress across all five value categories since their baseline year.
The district invested $28M into locally grown, processed and/or manufactured goods β an $8M increase from the previous assessment year β exceeding the baseline goal with 17.2% of total spend qualifying as local. Additionally, LAUSD earned one extra point for requiring district partners to participate in a Workplace Base Learning Program that opens internship and job training opportunities to LAUSD students, providing quality career pathways for students in a range of industries.
LAUSD continued to meet baseline goals in the valued workforce and nutrition categories, earning 14 out of 27 applicable points (52%) in nutrition, plus four points for employing additional best practices.
Dive deeper into Good Food in LA via the Los Angeles Food Policy Council:
Director of Institutional Impact Molly Riordan visited Red Rocks Amphitheatre, operated by the City & County of Denver, and met with the staff implementing the Good Food Purchasing Program in their newly reopened restaurant, Ship Rock Grille.
From left: Molly Riordan, Denver Department of Public Health & Environment's Marion Kalb, Red Rocks General Manager Brian Arp, and Red Rocks Executive Chef Robert Mrvos.
Molly visited Sam Thorp's Spade & Plow Organics farm in Gilroy, CA, with representatives of Fresh Approach, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), and Supply Change to support California farmers in finding new institutional markets.
Clockwise from the right: Sam Thorp, Claire Tauber (CAFF), H Nieto-Friga and Anna Bohbot of Supply Change, and Acacia Lynch, Samiha Hamdi, and Andy Ollove of Fresh Approach.
Β
During his recent three-day trip to Chicago, Institutional Impact Manager Jon Polley met with Good Food leaders from Rush University Medical Center; the Common Market; Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and Cook County Department of Corrections; Roosevelt University; Beyond Green Kitchen; Cook County Department of Public Health; John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital; the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition; Cultivate Collective; Academy for Global Citizenship; and the Chicago Food Policy Action Council β and even snuck in a trip to Vito & Nickβs Pizza!
Jon came away with countless ideas and plans for the future, with gratitude for the valuable conversation and connections made while on site and in person.
Β
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Week of Action advocacy calls for farmer and food system protections
During the last week of April, the Center participated in a Week of Action coordinated by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) to uplift important advocacy efforts to safeguard and improve our nationβs food and farm system through calls to action, including:
CA regional collaborators strategize at Farm to Institution California summit
Several Good Food Purchasing collaborators convened in Santa Cruz during a Farm to Institution California summit held by University of California Santa Cruzβs Center for Agroecology. Procurement strategies for increasing the amount of California-grown food making it into California institutions were discussed, with the Good Food Purchasing Program held up as a model for creating consistent metrics and messaging for institutional suppliers. After the success of the gathering, collaborators will reconvene to continue to build direct relationships between suppliers and institutions, and to demonstrate the demand for good food in California.
Β
Center staff Lunch and Learn with Cal grad students at Berkeley Food Institute
Credit: Berkeley Food Institute
Credit: Berkeley Food Institute
The UC Berkeley Food Institute welcomed Senior Analyst Peter Cohen, Policy Fellow Amy Nelms, and Institutional Impact Manager Jon Polley for a Lunch and Learn session with Cal grad students interested in learning more about careers in food justice. Peter, Amy, and Jon shared insight on their career journeys and the power of working with public institutions to help create an equitable and sustainable food system.
Fresno Unified School Districtβs Farber Educational Center was featured in an ABC30 Action News segment for its hydroponic flex farms. The initiative is supported by a California Farm to School Incubator Grant awarded to the district.
βWhen youβre connected to your food, itβs what nourishes our body, and so it just takes it to that whole other level when you grow it yourself,β said Amanda Harvey, director of nutrition services with Fresno Unified School District.
Β
Jon Polley, Molly Riordan, and Peter Cohen of the Center Program Team β who were on site visiting the Farber Educational Center while the news segment was being produced β reported that the hydroponic lettuce and tomato flex farms are on a long list of impressive achievements and operations they experienced at Fresno USD.
While also touring the districtβs central kitchen, Figarden Elementary School, Vang Pao Elementary School, and Sunnyside High School with Amanda Harvey, Jon, Molly, and Peter learned how the district serves more than 100 schools locally sourced, thoughtfully prepared foods with incredible efficiency, in addition to providing innovative educational offerings like the hydroponic flex farms and a warehouse management program instructed by an industry veteran.
The Austin Independent School District celebrated Earth Week as a proud recipient of a City of Austin Bright Green Future grant, which has allowed district schools to shift from single-use food containers to self-service options that are more sustainable and teach students life skills.
The Chicago Food Policy Action Council and Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) announced 15 local farms and food businesses as awardees of the second annual Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) Community Fund. The groups awarded $670,000 in grants to advance equity in the local food system by funding underserved farmers and food entrepreneurs within 250 miles of Chicago to increase community food access that promotes local economies, sustainable practices, fair labor, animal welfare, and nutrition.
Students at Lake Travis Independent School District celebrated Texas Fruit and Vegetable Day with organic carrots grown by Terra Preta Farms and delivered through the Central Texas Food Hub. The partnership has allowed Lake Travis ISD to source carrots from Austin-area farms including Farmshare Austin and Trosi Farms in Elgin, Texas.
The district also celebrated Earth Day this month with a salad bar featuring locally grown hydroponic lettuce from True Harvest Farm in Belton, Texas.
Β
Governance Board steers Centerβs strategic vision at annual retreat in LA
At the Center Governance Board Retreat in Los Angeles, Board Members Monte Roulier, Elizabeth Reynoso, Wood Turner, Mark Watson, Betsy Hodges, and Tina Castro joined Center staff Alexa Delwiche, Colleen McKinney, Tiffany Cheung, and Mayra Jaimes Pena.
We welcomed Board Members Betsy Hodges and Mark Watson to their inaugural retreat, following the start of their terms in October and June 2024, respectively.
From left: Senior Analyst Michael Loper, Mayra Jaimes Pena, Mark Watson, Alexa Delwiche, Center Co-Founder Paula Daniels, Colleen McKinney, Betsy Hodges, Tiffany Cheung, Elizabeth Reynoso, Monte Roulier
The annual gathering is an opportunity to provide expert-level insight and high-level guidance on the Centerβs strategic direction, as articulated in our Roadmap, and to strengthen their commitment to the Good Food Purchasing vision for the year ahead.
Β
Spring retreat brings Center staff together in Berkeley
Center staff reunited for our annual staff retreat in Berkeley, California, April 1-4. We focused on team building, planning and strategizing for our upcoming fiscal year, Power of Procurement summit planning, and enjoying in-person time together. Nothing beats in-person white-boarding!
Β
Upcoming Events
RESILIENCE AND RESISTANCE: CROSS-POLLINATING FOOD MOVEMENTS
June 22-24
Institute for Social and Economic Development Solutions (ISED) will host a food systems conference at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, to tackle pressing environmental, economic, and health challenges. The event will feature keynote speakers, interactive workshops, local field trips, and networking opportunities to provide a platform for sharing inspiration and innovation, strategizing and planning for action, and celebrating wins. Β
Copyright (C) 2025 Center for Good Food Purchasing. All rights reserved. You're receiving this because you are an important ally in the efforts to advance the Good Food Purchasing Program across the country.
Our mailing address is: Center for Good Food Purchasing
2150 Allston Way, Suite 290
Berkeley, CA 94704
USA
The Center has launched into the spring season with inspiring visits with partners across the country, the completion of half a dozen institutional assessments, and an invigorating staff retreat in the Bay Area, where we sharpened our vision and plans in pursuit of the future of Good Food.
βPittsburgh Public Schools is well on its way to meeting its goals for procuring more sustainable and nutritious food for students.
βDistrict leaders on [April 16] shared with local stakeholders the results of a baseline assessment of the districtβs food purchasing practices during the 2022-2023 school year. The report, compiled by the Center for Good Food Purchasing, found that more than 15% of the districtβs $5.6 million food budget that year was spent on items from local and family-owned suppliers.
ββIt's something since 2017, we've been talking to our produce vendors and saying, βWe want local,ββ said chef Malik Hamilton, the districtβs director of food services.β
Congratulations to Pittsburgh Public Schools, Chef Malik Hamilton, Sarah Buranskas and the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, and the entire community of Good Food Pittsburgh leaders on their exemplary collaboration!
Β
County of Santa Clara hospitals elevate CA healthcare food system as Good Food Bronze Leaders
All three County of Santa Clara hospitals completing their second annual GFPP assessment earned Good Food Leader: Bronze distinctions through their commitment to implementing Good Food Purchasing Program Standards.
Institutions awarded the Bronze seal have worked with the Centerβs Assessments and Analytics team to complete an assessment of one year of food purchasing data, have made a commitment to report annually on fundamental strategies for Good Food Purchasing Program implementation, and have co-developed an action plan with the Centerβs team to work toward Gold status.
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (VMC) invested nearly 25% of its total food spend ($460k) in products that are grown or processed by family or cooperatively-owned suppliers within 250 miles of the institution and an additional 5% in food grown or processed within 50 miles of the institution, with items from Blossom Foods' Oakland location contributing significantly to this performance.
VMC also exceeded valued workforce and community health and nutrition targets, and initiatives such as a weekly farmers market that accepts EBT and surveys patients on food insecurity delivered a strong performance in health equity.
OβConnor Hospital met the purchasing target in the valued workforce category with $423k (or 28% of its total food spend) qualifying as fair. OβConnor also has shown a commitment to aligning their policies and practices with the goals of each value category even outside of purchasing decisions, such as using compostable utensils and highlighting suppliers with high animal welfare practices like Cream Co. Meats.
OβConnor earned credit for 10 such additional strategies, including one in each value category β which is the required amount for Good Food Leader: Gold status.
St. Louise Regional Hospitalβs (SLRH) investment in more resilient supply chains and a vibrant local economy included $28k spent on products grown or processed by small family or cooperatively-owned suppliers within 250 miles of the institution.
SLRH also met the purchasing goal for the valued workforce category, with 25% of total food spend invested in products produced, processed, or distributed by suppliers with a unionized workforce, in addition to employing fair values in its own environment.
Β
Cook County Sheriffβs Office documents commitment to Good Food principles
In its second annual Good Food Purchasing Program assessment, the Cook County Sheriffβs Office (CCSO) has established itself as a leader in meeting multiple benchmarks related to Equity, Accountability, and Transparency.
Cook County, Illinois, stands at the forefront of the Good Food Purchasing Program movement, having successfully implemented GFPP policies across a wide range of departments and institutions within the region. In 2023, both Cook County and CCSO reaffirmed their commitment to food justice and sustainable procurement by establishing and publicly sharing a diverse purchasing plan.
CCSO has invested $651k into locally processed foods and partnered with small, local suppliers in the Greater Chicago area including Edible Cuts (Midwest Foods); Cristina Foods, Inc.; and McMahon Food Corporation. CCSO also demonstrated commitment to a food system with safe and healthy working conditions by investing $675k in suppliers with a union contract.
Β
LAUSDβs fifth program assessment shows commitment to values within $163M food spend
In its fifth annual assessment in the Good Food Purchasing Program, reflecting purchasing for the 2021-2022 school year, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) demonstrated significant progress across all five value categories since their baseline year.
The district invested $28M into locally grown, processed and/or manufactured goods β an $8M increase from the previous assessment year β exceeding the baseline goal with 17.2% of total spend qualifying as local. Additionally, LAUSD earned one extra point for requiring district partners to participate in a Workplace Base Learning Program that opens internship and job training opportunities to LAUSD students, providing quality career pathways for students in a range of industries.
LAUSD continued to meet baseline goals in the valued workforce and nutrition categories, earning 14 out of 27 applicable points (52%) in nutrition, plus four points for employing additional best practices.
Dive deeper into Good Food in LA via the Los Angeles Food Policy Council:
Director of Institutional Impact Molly Riordan visited Red Rocks Amphitheatre, operated by the City & County of Denver, and met with the staff implementing the Good Food Purchasing Program in their newly reopened restaurant, Ship Rock Grille.
From left: Molly Riordan, Denver Department of Public Health & Environment's Marion Kalb, Red Rocks General Manager Brian Arp, and Red Rocks Executive Chef Robert Mrvos.
Molly visited Sam Thorp's Spade & Plow Organics farm in Gilroy, CA, with representatives of Fresh Approach, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), and Supply Change to support California farmers in finding new institutional markets.
Clockwise from the right: Sam Thorp, Claire Tauber (CAFF), H Nieto-Friga and Anna Bohbot of Supply Change, and Acacia Lynch, Samiha Hamdi, and Andy Ollove of Fresh Approach.
Β
During his recent three-day trip to Chicago, Institutional Impact Manager Jon Polley met with Good Food leaders from Rush University Medical Center; the Common Market; Juvenile Temporary Detention Center and Cook County Department of Corrections; Roosevelt University; Beyond Green Kitchen; Cook County Department of Public Health; John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital; the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition; Cultivate Collective; Academy for Global Citizenship; and the Chicago Food Policy Action Council β and even snuck in a trip to Vito & Nickβs Pizza!
Jon came away with countless ideas and plans for the future, with gratitude for the valuable conversation and connections made while on site and in person.
Β
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Week of Action advocacy calls for farmer and food system protections
During the last week of April, the Center participated in a Week of Action coordinated by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) to uplift important advocacy efforts to safeguard and improve our nationβs food and farm system through calls to action, including:
CA regional collaborators strategize at Farm to Institution California summit
Several Good Food Purchasing collaborators convened in Santa Cruz during a Farm to Institution California summit held by University of California Santa Cruzβs Center for Agroecology. Procurement strategies for increasing the amount of California-grown food making it into California institutions were discussed, with the Good Food Purchasing Program held up as a model for creating consistent metrics and messaging for institutional suppliers. After the success of the gathering, collaborators will reconvene to continue to build direct relationships between suppliers and institutions, and to demonstrate the demand for good food in California.
Β
Center staff Lunch and Learn with Cal grad students at Berkeley Food Institute
Credit: Berkeley Food Institute
Credit: Berkeley Food Institute
The UC Berkeley Food Institute welcomed Senior Analyst Peter Cohen, Policy Fellow Amy Nelms, and Institutional Impact Manager Jon Polley for a Lunch and Learn session with Cal grad students interested in learning more about careers in food justice. Peter, Amy, and Jon shared insight on their career journeys and the power of working with public institutions to help create an equitable and sustainable food system.
Fresno Unified School Districtβs Farber Educational Center was featured in an ABC30 Action News segment for its hydroponic flex farms. The initiative is supported by a California Farm to School Incubator Grant awarded to the district.
βWhen youβre connected to your food, itβs what nourishes our body, and so it just takes it to that whole other level when you grow it yourself,β said Amanda Harvey, director of nutrition services with Fresno Unified School District.
Β
Jon Polley, Molly Riordan, and Peter Cohen of the Center Program Team β who were on site visiting the Farber Educational Center while the news segment was being produced β reported that the hydroponic lettuce and tomato flex farms are on a long list of impressive achievements and operations they experienced at Fresno USD.
While also touring the districtβs central kitchen, Figarden Elementary School, Vang Pao Elementary School, and Sunnyside High School with Amanda Harvey, Jon, Molly, and Peter learned how the district serves more than 100 schools locally sourced, thoughtfully prepared foods with incredible efficiency, in addition to providing innovative educational offerings like the hydroponic flex farms and a warehouse management program instructed by an industry veteran.
The Austin Independent School District celebrated Earth Week as a proud recipient of a City of Austin Bright Green Future grant, which has allowed district schools to shift from single-use food containers to self-service options that are more sustainable and teach students life skills.
The Chicago Food Policy Action Council and Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) announced 15 local farms and food businesses as awardees of the second annual Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI) Community Fund. The groups awarded $670,000 in grants to advance equity in the local food system by funding underserved farmers and food entrepreneurs within 250 miles of Chicago to increase community food access that promotes local economies, sustainable practices, fair labor, animal welfare, and nutrition.
Students at Lake Travis Independent School District celebrated Texas Fruit and Vegetable Day with organic carrots grown by Terra Preta Farms and delivered through the Central Texas Food Hub. The partnership has allowed Lake Travis ISD to source carrots from Austin-area farms including Farmshare Austin and Trosi Farms in Elgin, Texas.
The district also celebrated Earth Day this month with a salad bar featuring locally grown hydroponic lettuce from True Harvest Farm in Belton, Texas.
Β
Governance Board steers Centerβs strategic vision at annual retreat in LA
At the Center Governance Board Retreat in Los Angeles, Board Members Monte Roulier, Elizabeth Reynoso, Wood Turner, Mark Watson, Betsy Hodges, and Tina Castro joined Center staff Alexa Delwiche, Colleen McKinney, Tiffany Cheung, and Mayra Jaimes Pena.
We welcomed Board Members Betsy Hodges and Mark Watson to their inaugural retreat, following the start of their terms in October and June 2024, respectively.
From left: Senior Analyst Michael Loper, Mayra Jaimes Pena, Mark Watson, Alexa Delwiche, Center Co-Founder Paula Daniels, Colleen McKinney, Betsy Hodges, Tiffany Cheung, Elizabeth Reynoso, Monte Roulier
The annual gathering is an opportunity to provide expert-level insight and high-level guidance on the Centerβs strategic direction, as articulated in our Roadmap, and to strengthen their commitment to the Good Food Purchasing vision for the year ahead.
Β
Spring retreat brings Center staff together in Berkeley
Center staff reunited for our annual staff retreat in Berkeley, California, April 1-4. We focused on team building, planning and strategizing for our upcoming fiscal year, Power of Procurement summit planning, and enjoying in-person time together. Nothing beats in-person white-boarding!
Β
Upcoming Events
RESILIENCE AND RESISTANCE: CROSS-POLLINATING FOOD MOVEMENTS
June 22-24
Institute for Social and Economic Development Solutions (ISED) will host a food systems conference at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, to tackle pressing environmental, economic, and health challenges. The event will feature keynote speakers, interactive workshops, local field trips, and networking opportunities to provide a platform for sharing inspiration and innovation, strategizing and planning for action, and celebrating wins. Β
Copyright (C) 2025 Center for Good Food Purchasing. All rights reserved. You're receiving this because you are an important ally in the efforts to advance the Good Food Purchasing Program across the country.
Our mailing address is: Center for Good Food Purchasing
2150 Allston Way, Suite 290
Berkeley, CA 94704
USA
