Public institutions, such as schools, city and county departments, jails, and even hospitals or universities, spend millions of dollars each year to feed the people they serve. The Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) harnesses this purchasing power to drive positive change. Created by the Center for Good Food Purchasing, the policy helps institutions prioritize healthy, sustainable, regional, and fair foods in their purchasing contracts. By setting clear standards for how food is grown, processed, and distributed, GFPP enables communities to align food budgets with their core values, supporting local farmers, fair labor, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare.

The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council is partnering with Pittsburgh Public Schools, Allegheny County, and a strong coalition of local advocates, including Humane Action Pittsburgh, Sustainable Pittsburgh, UPMC Children’s Hospital, and Pasa Sustainable Agriculture, to create, promote, and help implement a Good Food Purchasing Policy within the district and across the region. Together, we advance Good Food policies and provide transparent reporting on institutional food purchases, ensuring that every dollar spent helps build a more just and resilient food system.

The five fundamental values of the GFPP are outlined below. Agencies and institutions commit to including language that promotes these values in their food contracts by adopting a purchasing policy.

• Nutrition: Promote health and well-being by offering generous portions of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and minimally processed foods, while reducing salt, added sugars, saturated fats, and red meat consumption and eliminating artificial additives. Improving equity, affordability, accessibility, and consumption of high-quality, culturally relevant Good Food in all communities is central to advancing Good Food purchasing practices. 

• Environmental sustainability: Sourced from producers that employ sustainable production systems to reduce or eliminate synthetic pesticides and fertilizers; avoid the use of hormones, routine antibiotics, and genetic engineering; conserve and regenerate soil and water; protect and enhance wildlife habitats and biodiversity; and reduce on-farm energy and water consumption, food waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Reduce menu items that have high carbon and water footprints, using strategies such as plant-forward menus that feature smaller portions of animal proteins in a supporting role. Examples of certifications and claims include USDA Organic, Animal Welfare Approved, Antibiotic Resistance Action Center Certified Responsible, Demeter Certified Biodynamic, American Grassfed, Seafood Watch, the Marine Stewardship Council, Food Alliance Certified, and Protected Harvest Certified Sustainable.

• Regional economies: Support diverse, family and cooperatively owned, small and mid-sized agricultural and food processing operations within the local area or region.