Check out our May 2025 newsletter for updates on GFPP success in Texas, the True Cost Accounting Global Summit in Rome, opposition to the budget reconciliation package, a new Good Food California Procurement Calendar, and Good Food Purchasing Program headlines and appearances.
May Newsletter: Center for Good Food Purchasingπ Good Food updates, resources, & highlights
Lake Travis Independent School District shines in third GFPP assessment
Improvements across $3.46M food spend includes commitments to Nutrition, Local Economies, Animal Welfare
The Lake Travis Independent School District demonstrated significant progress in multiple values categories in its third assessment with the Good Food Purchasing Program. Purchasing data for the 2022-23 school year shows that 20.5% of the districtβs $3.46M food spend supported small and mid-sized agricultural and food processing operations within the local area or region, exceeding the baseline goal of 15%.
Lake Travis ISD also increased points earned in the Nutrition category, reflecting commitment to promoting health and wellbeing by offering generous portions of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains while reducing salt, added sugars, fats and oils, and artificial additives. In addition, partnership with Greener Pastures for chicken purchases earned new qualification in the Animal Welfare values category for the first time since the district enrolled in the Good Food Purchasing Program.
True Cost Accounting Global Summit convenes in Rome to transform food systems
Center Co-Founder and Executive Director Alexa Delwiche joined approximately 150 leaders from around the world at the Scaling Implementation: True Cost Accounting Global Summit organized by TCA Accelerator and hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy, to identify priority actions for scaling True Cost Accounting (TCA) and transforming food systems by 2030.
True Cost Accounting in Food is an accounting framework that measures and values the positive and negative environmental, social, health, and economic costs and benefits in how food is produced to level the playing field and help make informed business, consumer, investor, and/or policy decisions. The TCA Accelerator is a global network advocating for the transition to a just, sustainable, and healthy food system through widespread adoption of True Cost Accounting. A TCA roadmap for action is anticipated to be released in October.
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Budget reconciliation package cuts farmer support, community nutrition access
CA collaborative partners target policy adoption, farmer engagement
The Good Food Purchasing California collaborative continues to advance Good Food Purchasing across the state via multiple avenues and approaches. GFP CA partner Fullwell is galvanizing a San Francisco-based coalition to advocate for a new resolution supporting Good Food Purchasing for all city and county agencies, including drafting recommended resolution language and connecting with stakeholders. Meanwhile, the Center continues to support two public hospitals in San Francisco, Zuckerberg SF General and Laguna Honda, to complete annual Good Food Purchasing assessments that showcase their progress.
In Santa Clara County, GFP CA partner Community Alliance with Family Farmers and the Center are testing a new farmer engagement process to increase the number of small and diverse farmers selling to local institutions. The project, which will continue throughout the summer, will connect school districts and other institutions to farm-based food hubs, and help illustrate farmsβ environmentally-sustainable growing practices to show alignment with the Good Food Purchasing Program. Next steps for the collaborative include identifying upcoming solicitations and working on preliminary matchmaking and technical assistance support to farms, food hubs, and distributors that can meet institutionsβ good food needs.
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Good Food California Procurement Calendar centralizes solicitation plans
Public institutions purchase food and food services through public solicitations, including bids, requests for proposal (RFPs), and small order purchases. For good food suppliers looking to serve schools, a common barrier to developing farm-to-institution relationships is knowing when these solicitations are announced.
Through the Good Food Purchasing California project, the Center and its partners have assembled a solicitation calendar for California institutions enrolled in the Good Food Purchasing Program. This calendar can be used by good food vendors and suppliers to identify what goods and services institutions contract for, and can help them plan to submit a bid or proposal in advance. Additionally, this calendar can be used by technical assistance providers and value chain coordinators to identify potential matches between farms, food hubs, or values-based distributors and Good Food Purchasing Program-enrolled institutions.
This resource will be updated regularly and posted to our website, goodfoodpurchasing.org, under the Resources tab (see Technical Assistance + Set Goals in the βSupport at Each Phaseβ page section).
If you have additional solicitation information to add, please contact us.
Molly Riordan, Director of Institutional Impact, presented on behalf of the Center at the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) webinar on Navigating Access to Capital Networks in the Food System alongside Ann Finnegan of Grow America and Brendan Buttimer of Reinvestment Fund.
Molly shared insight on the inspiring work of the Chicago Food Policy Action Council, Boston Public Schools and CommonWealth Kitchen, and Kamehameha Schools, each of which is unlocking capital for food and farm businesses in different ways.
State government resistance and Trumpβs rollback of food infrastructure funding have undermined Illinois lawmakersβ efforts to keep food dollars local and support small producers.
By Jennifer Bamberg, Investigate Midwest May 8, 2025
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, and Illinois Department of Agriculture Director Jerry Costello II speak at Sola Gratia Farm in Urbana, Illinois on March 19, 2025. Farmers and environmental leaders were also in attendance to discuss agriculture funding cuts. Photo credit: Jennifer Bamberg, Investigate Midwest
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UPDATE!
On June 1, Illinois House Joint Resolution HJR27 passed both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, reestablishing the Illinois Good Food Purchasing Policy Task Force to examine how food is currently procured by state agencies and explore how values-based purchasing can be implemented statewide.
The Illinois Food Justice Alliance Coalition will continue to meet through the summer to discuss and create the next phases of work related to HJR27. The Task Force will survey state agencies and facilities to assess current practices and identify barriers, ultimately recommending up to three state agencies or facilities best suited for a values-based procurement pilot program. The Resolution also expands the Task Force to include additional representatives.
βAlthough we started this journey with our dream bill β to integrate values-based practices into the state-level procurement system β we navigated a winding and sometimes blinding path and landed with a Resolution that keeps that dream alive,β said Kiara Jackson of the Illinois Food Justice Alliance. βThis is not the end β it's a strategic step forward, and a reminder not only to everyone else, but to ourselves, that we are a force to be reckoned with.β
βWe know what our dream is and we will continue to build towards it.β
Senior Analyst Peter Cohen joined Katie Ettman and Grecia Marquiz-Nieblas of Fullwell at the Food & Agriculture Action Coalition Toward Sovereignty 2025 SF Food Action Summit for a panel discussion on the Power of Procurement.
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Food as a Multisolver learning session
This month, Community Initiatives Network, co-founded by Center Board Chair Monte Roulier, partnered with Thriving Together North Central Washington to host a learning session on Food as a Multisolver, exploring how food systems can serve as powerful levers for advancing health, equity, belonging, and environmental sustainability.
Senior Analyst Bella Steinhauer joined the event to share how embedding Good Food Purchasing values in food system transformation can foster a thriving, sustainable, and equitable reimagining of food. The learning session featured guest speaker Chef Maria Hines, Founder/Director of Blue Sky Minds, an organization that aims to eliminate hunger and support a sustainable food system that supports farmers, the community, and the land in Washington State, emphasizing Okanogan County and Colville Reservation.
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Conference on Sustainable Food Procurement by Institutions
Center Policy Fellow Amy Nelms recently presented on Measuring Impact of Values-based Procurement Programs at the Conference on Sustainable Food Procurement by Institutions at University of Michigan. The conference provided an opportunity for higher education stakeholders to discuss the future of institutional food procurement with leaders across a range of food systems work.
Presentations and conversation at the event demonstrated excitement and leadership emerging in higher education around expanding purchasing to include sustainability, local sourcing, and labor considerations, among the many priorities and challenges universities currently are facing.
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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
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