Good Food Purchasing

Public institutions like schools, city and county departments, hospitals, and universities spend millions of dollars every year to feed the people they serve. The Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP), created by the Center for Good Food Purchasing, harnesses that purchasing power to drive positive change. It helps institutions build healthy, sustainable, regional, and fair food standards directly into their purchasing contracts, aligning food budgets with community values. 

Using institutional food dollars to build a healthier, fairer, more resilient Pittsburgh region

Our Role

The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council (PFPC) leads local implementation of the Good Food Purchasing Program. We convene the coalition, drive policy adoption, and hold institutions accountable to their commitments through transparent public reporting.

PFPC is partnering with Pittsburgh Public Schools and Allegheny County, alongside a coalition of local advocates including Humane Action Pittsburgh, Sustainable Pittsburgh, UPMC Children's Hospital, and Pasa Sustainable Agriculture to create, promote, and implement a Good Food Purchasing Policy across the district and the region.

On its very first baseline assessment, PPS met 2 of 5 Good Food value categories and achieved 100% of Equity, Accountability & Transparency (EAT) requirements. 

What PFPC Is Doing

  • Supporting implementation of the PPS Good Food Purchasing Policy through community accountability and transparency around food spend.

  • Funding public entities to complete food purchasing assessments.

  • Educating decision-makers and publicly-funded agencies on a countywide Good Food Purchasing Policy.

  • Leading the Pittsburgh Good Food Coalition toward city- and county-level Good Food goals.

  • Engaging private institutions aligned with Good Food values in their own purchasing practices.

This work advances Recommendation 3.10 of the Greater Pittsburgh Food Action Plan — leveraging institutional procurement to strengthen our regional food system — including Strategy 3.10.1: working with universities and hospitals to adopt procurement policies that support the regional food economy.