| | | | | | | | Elizabeth Reynoso named Center for Good Food Purchasing Governance Board Chair |
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| | Governance Board Chair Elizabeth Reynoso |
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| | Governance Board Member Monte Roulier |
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At the July meeting of the Center for Good Food Purchasing Governance Board, Elizabeth Reynoso was named board chair, succeeding Monte Roulier.
Reynoso, who has served as a governance board member since 2021, steps into the board chair role with momentum and enthusiasm to continue the future pathways outlined during the Power of Procurement 2025 summit.
“It is an honor to be named board chair of the Center for Good Food Purchasing, whose work is urgently helping communities meet today’s toughest health, climate, and equity challenges and reshaping how institutions respond,” Reynoso said.
The transition comes as the interconnected efforts outlined through PoP25 discussions and reflection accelerate, including advancing the collective vision and commitments outlined in the Chicago Good Food Purchasing Declaration, building a cross-sector Good Food Purchasing network, and co-designing a policy and action agenda. Roulier led the governance board for six years, beginning in January 2020, shortly after the Power of Procurement 2019 summit and just prior to the onset of the pandemic.
“Monte has gracefully led the board for the last six years, guiding us through the development of our change model, the implementation of a new governance structure, and the organization’s navigation of the pandemic and leadership transitions, among much else,” said Alexa Delwiche, Center Co-Founder and Executive Director. “That foundational work has shaped our direction through turbulent political tides and unprecedented questions and challenges, and into the present day, which finds us poised and ready to embark on the next phases along our pathway.
“Now coming out of PoP25, Elizabeth is stepping into the board chair role with momentum at this inflection point, alongside two new board members, as we move into the next phase outlined in the recap.”
Roulier will continue guiding the Center as a governance board member alongside returning board members Tina Castro, Betsy Hodges, Mark Watson, and Wood Turner, and newly appointed board members Masika Henson and Raj Patel.
“Partnering with Alexa, the CGFP team, and our remarkable board to deepen the partnerships I witnessed at the PoP25 Summit requires that we move with clarity and courage,” said Reynoso. “We are experiencing a powerful window of possibility to reshape the values at the heart of our food system, and I'm eager for the Center to engage in bold collective action.” |
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| | | Good Food for MI Project celebrates grant partnership with Dearborn Public Schools |
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| Michigan’s third-largest school district receives $460k grant award |
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| The Good Food for Michigan Project has welcomed Dearborn Public Schools as the latest institution awarded grant funds to bring more Good Food to Michiganders with the support of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Center for Good Food Purchasing, and the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems.
A $460,565 grant and support services through the Good Food for Michigan Project will allow Dearborn Public Schools to increase the amount of values-aligned, Michigan-grown and produced foods offered at more than 30 sites across the district, which serves approximately 20,000 students as the state’s third-largest school district. The grant partnership also will allow the district to serve as a model for others across Michigan to expand their connections to invest in more fresh, local food, said Melanie Tran, the Michigan Impact Manager at the Center.
“Dearborn Public Schools has a unique opportunity to scale up good food procurement to eventually provide increased demand for Michigan farmers and a steady flow of nutritious food to thousands of students,” Tran said. “Our work with Dearborn Public Schools will help to ensure it’s a model that can be replicated in other areas of the state.” |
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| | | Good Food for Michigan Pledge offers collective commitment to Good Food |
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| | Good Food for Michigan partners gather at the Farmers Market at the Michigan State Capitol to unveil the Good Food for Michigan Pledge. |
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| In July, Good Food for Michigan partners gathered with local growers and food producers at the Michigan State Capitol Farmers Market to unveil the Good Food for Michigan Pledge, a new way for Good Food buyers, suppliers, and supporters to commit to expanding access to values-aligned food in Michigan institutions. |
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| The Good Food for Michigan Pledge is a collective commitment to take steps toward supporting a culture of Good Food Purchasing, which means building connections to make more Michigan-grown, values-aligned food available to communities across the Great Lakes State.
“Every signature shows that Michiganders care about healthy communities, thriving farms, strong local economies and more,” said Melanie Tran, Michigan Impact Manager at the Center. “The Good Food for Michigan Pledge showcases collective commitment to bringing more local food into procurement practices while offering support and flexibility to farmers and school officials.” |
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| | | | | | | Photo credit: Sarah Rypma |
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| | | | Join us for an information session on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026, at 1 p.m. ET for an overview of Good Food for Michigan, ways to get involved, and time for Q&A with representatives from project partners. |
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| | Farmers, unions, and local food leaders urge Governor Hochul to sign Good Food NY Bill |
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| | | | “Leveraging Local Purchasing Power: Reforming State Laws to Support Municipal Values-Based Food Procurement." |
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| In “Leveraging Local Purchasing Power: Reforming State Laws to Support Municipal Values-Based Food Procurement,” an article published in Volume 34, Issue 3 of the NYU Environmental Law Journal, Mark Izeman details the need to reform state procurement laws in the United States – with a spotlight on New York State – to empower cities, towns, schools, and other local entities to purchase food that is more sustainable, healthy, and equitable.
Interest in purchasing more so-called “good food” stems from: (a) the growing awareness of the significant adverse environmental, climate, public health, and other impacts of our global food and agricultural system; and (b) the recognition that leveraging the enormous amount of purchasing power of government institutions to buy food that meets environmental and other values represents a powerful strategy to tackle these systemic problems, writes Izeman, Senior Attorney and Senior Strategist at the Natural Resources Defense Council and Adjunct Professor of Law at New York University School of Law. |
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| | Leveraging government procurement to advance public objectives is not new: There is a long history in the US and around the world to harness government procurement dollars to advance social, economic, and environmental objectives (e.g., enforcing anti-discrimination buying recycled paper, reducing climate emissions). Cities are leading the way on good food initiatives: Many municipal efforts in the US try to advance public food procurement laws and policies that are aligned with critical "values-based” or “good food” standards that they know are critical to their stakeholders. Antiquated state procurement laws hinder values-based local procurement: State laws generally require municipal food (and most other) contracts to be awarded to the “lowest responsible bidder.” Limiting purchasing to the lowest bidder largely prevents cities, towns, and schools from taking social and environmental factors into account, such as supplying healthier school food, combatting climate change, and protecting local farms and farmland. State laws need to explicitly empower municipalities to consider values-based food standards: To help realize the promise of values-based procurement in New York and most other jurisdictions, existing state procurement laws should be changed to explicitly empower municipalities to consider values-based standards in their purchasing decisions including through (a) more sophisticated “best value” solicitations and (b) price or bid preferences for food that meets one of more of the articulated “good food” values.
The article outlines recommendations addressing the need for legislators, decision-makers, and advocates seeking to secure new statutory reforms to, among other things: Carefully decipher (often very complex) current state procurement laws governing localities (which are almost always different than laws controlling states agencies), Incorporate supply chain transparency requirements into any new laws, Ensure consistency with federal procurement laws governing schools and other entities receiving federal food monies, and Take into consideration potential US Constitutional concerns, especially under the Dormant Commerce Clause.
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| | | Farm bill fails to advance out of committee |
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| On Friday, July 31, Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, unexpectedly released the Senate's latest farm bill proposal and scheduled a markup for the bill on Aug. 6. Over 200 amendments were filed before the markup, including several proposals related to strengthening local and regional supply chains. On Aug. 6, the bill failed to advance out of committee on a party line vote.
As Mike Lavender, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) Policy Director, stated, "A bipartisan amendment successfully secured meaningful funding for market opportunities for local farmers, an incredibly positive step forward. Yet the inability to find bipartisan solutions to address deep cuts to popular, oversubscribed conservation programs and the SNAP program will continue to weigh this bill down until real solutions are found." |
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| | | | | | | Check our Policy Page for updates on issues
related to Good Food policies and legislation. |
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| | Inside the GFPP Ecosystem: Updates, New Resources & Upcoming Events |
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| Photo credit: New York Health Foundation |
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| 2026 Grantmakers in Health Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy highlights Public Dollars for Public Good: Advancing Health Equity Through Food Procurement |
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| Center Executive Director Alexa Delwiche joined Julia McCarthy of the New York Health Foundation; Clare Fox of Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders; and Heather Bois Bruskin of the Montgomery County (MD) Office of Food Systems Resilience to present on advancing health equity through food procurement at the Grantmakers in Health conference in Baltimore. Their session, featuring insights from Eliane Dunn-Johnson, Registered Dietitian & Food Service Manager at the Montgomery County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, explored how food procurement is expanding health equity, uplifting local economies, and restoring trust in public systems. |
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| | | Ms. Carol Blackmon (left), Seanicaa Edwards Herron, and Dr. Veronica Womack
Photo by Ale Santana • 2026 SAFSF Forum |
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| Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) Forum reimagines ‘Ancestral Futures’ |
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| Alexa Delwiche traveled to Savannah, Georgia, in July to gather with 350+ funders, community-based organizations, and thought leaders for the Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) 2026 Forum. The Forum theme, “Ancestral Futures,” was woven through sessions inspiring attendees to deepen an understanding of origins and reimagine a future together.
“From a powerful call to invest in Southern-led food systems solutions, to state legislators fighting to defend democracy through agriculture policy, to fisherfolk and farmworkers sharing the common struggles that unite land and sea, this Forum surfaced hard truths and real pathways forward for funders working at the intersection of food, equity, and climate,” SAFSF shared. |
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| | | | Photo credit: @austinisdfood |
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| | “🍎 Fresh meals and friendly faces! 👩🏽🍳 From healthy, high-quality meals to the serving line process, our Introduction to School Lunch video gives students and families a preview of what lunchtime is like at @austinisd. We can’t wait to welcome everyone to the cafeteria this school year!” |
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| | | | | “What a delight to see the Director of Farm to Institution programs [May Tsupros] at MSU's Center for Regional Food System as a guest in the Farm to School Podcast's most recent episode!” |
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| | Photo credit: Nate Hansen, shared by Edible Chicago |
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| The Roots of Food Policy with Chicago Food Policy Action Council
by Megan Marshall, Edible Chicago |
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| “Food is political. From what’s served in your kid’s school cafeteria to which crops receive federal subsidies, policy decisions shape every bite we take, often without us realizing it. That’s why we’re excited to announce an ongoing partnership with the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC) for a recurring food policy column in each issue of Edible Chicago.
“CFPAC has spent more than two decades working to make Chicago’s food system healthier, equitable, and more transparent. In this column, they’ll help us decode the complex, often invisible world of food policy: what it is, how it works, and why it matters to everyday eaters.
… “We’re kicking things off with a conversation about the basics: what food policy is and how CFPAC goes about shaping it. Grateful to Rodger Cooley, Executive Director of the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC), for jumping in here with us! … “Only through engaged and active eaters who become advocates and voters will we be able to meaningfully shift policy toward the food system we want and deserve.” |
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| | Central Texas Farm to School Collaborative Call for Proposals: Lunchbox Peppers Pilot Design & Coordination Consultant |
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| | Proposals Due:
Sept. 7, 2026
Preferred Start Date:
September 2026
Budget:
Up to $10,000
(Phase 1 funding) |
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| The Central Texas Farm to School Collaborative has released a call for proposals for a Lunchbox Peppers Pilot Design & Coordination Consultant.
The Lunchbox Peppers Pilot is a multi-district, multi-farmer forward commitment initiative designed to test a scalable regional sourcing model for local school food procurement. Participating school districts and producers will work together to forecast district demand for lunchbox peppers; align crop planning with school menu needs; navigate procurement pathways for forward commitments; coordinate aggregation, distribution, and logistics; and develop educational and awareness strategies to engage students and communities. |
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| The Collaborative seeks a consultant or consultant team to support Phase 1: Pilot Design and Coordination. Qualifications include demonstrated experience in project planning and coordination, facilitation and stakeholder engagement, developing success metrics and evaluation frameworks, and storytelling and communications.
Proposals can be submitted before Sept. 7, 2026, using the Google Proposal Submission Form. Questions may be directed to Marissa Bell at bellm@ltisdschools.org. |
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| | | 2027 California Small Farm Conference request for workshop proposals now open |
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| Submissions due by Sept. 15 for statewide hybrid event to be held Feb. 21-26, 2027 |
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| Do you have expertise, a story, or practical knowledge that could strengthen California's small farm community? The 2027 California Small Farm Conference request for workshop proposals is now open. Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) wants to hear from farmers, researchers, advocates, and anyone with something valuable to share. Submissions close Sept. 15. Submit your proposal at caff.org/conference. |
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