GOVERNMENT PRACTICES
ENACT STRATEGY: Comprehensive Food PolicyAdopt a comprehensive food policy that develops nutrition, health, and environmental guidelines for purchasing
Government can serve as an important role model for other institutions and worksites by setting food purchasing standards that support nutrition, the environment, and overall human health. Regulations about which foods to serve and purchase can vary -- from standards that follow the USDA's nutrition guidelines to those that limit or completely eliminate junk food and ensure that healthy options are available. Additionally, food purchasing policies can go beyond nutrition standards to include standards that encourage sustainable growing and production practices. Sustainable food purchasing can include: encouraging or requiring the purchase of local and regional foods, organic food or food produced without pesticides, chemicals and hormones, or food that ensure the health and safety of those growing and producing the food. Policies that support locally grown food and sustainable food production practices allow local government to use their purchasing power to demonstrate support for healthy food production practices. Moreover, when government purchases food grown and produced locally, it helps to support the local economy by sustaining local jobs, and increasing demand to spur further production and processing. Regardless of the standards that are adopted, it is important to set in place very specific guidelines that support the food policy as well as training for those who will select and purchase foods.
The decision as to how far reaching a local government's food standards should be can vary:
- Standards may apply only to foods sold and served in government buildings (e.g. cafeteria meals, vending machines, meetings and events);
- Standards may extend to all foods purchased with government funds (e.g. if a local organization purchases food for an event with government funding, those foods would have to meet the local food policy standards;
- Standards may apply very broadly to all groups that receive government funding, regardless of whose funds they use to purchase foods (e.g. a group that receives government funding has to apply the local food policy standards for their own facility and events).
Shaping our Local Food Systems
What does it mean to shape local polices about our food? Why should our food be controlled locally? Who decides? These are all questions that are answered in this quick fact tool developed by the Environmental Commons.
San Francisco Department of Public Health
San Francisco’s Department of Public Health adopted a sustainable food policy on July 18, 2006. The policy language requires an increase in purchasing and provision of sustainable food.
Woodbury County Supports Local, Organic Farming
This article highlights how the Woodbury county policy mandates that county food service programs must purchase organic, locally grown foods when available.
Health Department Staff Create Self Sustaining Healthy Snack Bar
This Article describes a successful effort to apply nutrition standards into a North Carolina community. The Community Change Chronicles is a newsletter distributed by Eat Smart, Move More…North Carolina.
Building a Successful Local Food Model – Tips for Institutional Buyers
This is a quick guide for food purchasers for larger institutions that would like to start purchasing sustainable foods and establish a sustainable food purchasing policy.
A Guide to Developing a Sustainable Food Purchasing Policy
This guide produced by Food Alliance gives an overview on sustainable food purchasing policies. Elements included in this guide are the importance of sustainable food purchasing policies, and how to develop a sustainable food purchasing policy.
Counties and Local Food Systems - Ensuring Healthy Foods, Nurturing Healthy Children
This report, published by the NACo Center for Sustainable Communities, was written for readers interested in the links between agriculture and economic development, environmental protection, and food security. This publication contains four methods and case studies for how county governments can support their local food systems.
The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) designed this Sustainable Purchasing Guide to help you incorporate social and environmental considerations into your institutional purchasing decisions.
This tool provides an organization or government entity with an outline for developing a food purchasing policy that does not support consumption of antibiotics used in meat, poultry, dairy and seafood.
One way governments can support and develop a local food purchasing policy is by establishing a Food Policy Council. World Hunger Year’s Food Security Learning Center describes the key elements of Food Policy Councils.
Policy Guide on Community and Regional Food Planning
This guide was developed specifically for planners interested in community and regional food. It is divided up into seven general policies, each then divided up into several specific policies.
San Francisco Department of Public Health, Healthy and Sustainable Food Policy
This policy ensures that all Department of Public Health (DPH) events, programs and services reflect the DPH mission of promoting the health of all San Franciscans by providing healthy food options acquired healthy, environmentally sound, and sustainable sources.
Woodbury, IA Local Food Purchase Policy
The Local Food Policy for Woodbury County requires the County to purchase locally organic food, through its food service contractor, when County departments serve food in their usual course of business.
Clark County, WA Worksite Wellness Nutrition Policy
This policy establishes healthy food and beverage purchase guidelines for a variety of county food purchases such as events, meeting, and vending machines.
Contra Costa County, CA Vending Machine Policy
This policy requires that 50% food and beverages sold in vending machines in County owned or operated facilities meet specific nutrition standards.
City of San Francisco, Organic Certified Foods
This policy establishes City policy of maximizing the purchase of Organic Certified materials when procuring necessary goods for the City.
Food Policy Council Resolutions and Authorizations
The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC)'s national Food Policy Council (FPC) Program provides links to local-level policies designed to support the work of food policy councils.
in ENACT Local Policy Database
Sustainable Food Policy Project
The Sustainable Food Policy Project’s goal is to support efforts by educational, healthcare and other institutions to have a positive impact on the food system through purchasing. The website is a resources for other food purchasing policies, food policy language and articulation, and provides a space for learning and lessons learned.
The Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC)'s national Food Policy Council (FPC) Program is designed to support, free of charge, the development and operation of current and emerging Food Policy Councils.
