The Center for Good Food Purchasing and project partners Fullwell, Community Alliance with Family Farmers, and Los Angeles Food Policy Council launched the Good Food Purchasing California collaborative in 2024 to link Good Food Purchasing Program efforts across the state of California.

The Good Food Purchasing California regional collaborative is connecting and amplifying impacts of advanced good food purchasing initiatives in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. The project is designed to help us deepen Good Food Purchasing Program work underway with food service operators, community-based organizations, technical assistance partners, and staff at state agencies to work in greater coordination and accelerate the impact of our collective efforts.

Collaborative partners carefully assess challenges and tackle them with a multi-pronged approach, including helping institutions to easily add GFPP criteria to their bids and RPFs; providing new forms of technical assistance to suppliers; connecting school districts and other institutions to farm-based food hubs; and advocating for policies that weave Good Food into the fabric of our infrastructure.

In San Francisco, two Good Food Purchasing California partners came together to score a major policy victory in 2025. Faced with pressure to eliminate language requiring City agencies to include small and mid-sized farms in their food purchasing plans in the citywide ordinance renewing its commitment to Good Food Purchasing, Community Alliance with Family Farmers provided case studies then shared by Fullwell to document how small and mid-size farms are supporting Bay Area institutions. With that evidence in hand, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the ordinance that commits City agencies, including county hospitals and jails, to Good Food Purchasing values through 2035.

What is the Good Food Purchasing California Collaborative?

The Good Food Purchasing California Collaborative is intended to align and amplify good food purchasing efforts across the state of California. The collaborative launched as a result of a successful United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Regional Food System Partnership grant application.

Which organizations are part of the Good Food Purchasing California Collaborative?

Good Food for Michigan is a partnership between the Center for Good Food Purchasing, Fullwell, Community Alliance with Family Farmers, and Los Angeles Food Policy Council.

How can my organization, school, or hospital get involved in the Good Food Purchasing California Collaborative?

To learn more on how to get involved in the Good Food Purchasing California Collaborative, please contact Jon Polley, Senior Program Manager at the Center for Good Food Purchasing, at jpolley@goodfoodpurchasing.org.

Questions or media inquiries may be submitted to Jon Polley, Senior Program Manager at the Center for Good Food Purchasing, at jpolley@goodfoodpurchasing.org. Please note any relevant deadlines in your inquiry.