Bravo to SF Bay PSR Board member Dr. Tom Newman for his work on the Good Food Purchasing Standards in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Public Health will start aligning their food purchasing practices with standards aimed at improving the environment and the health and well-being of those who eat at the hospitals and jails, as well as those working in the food system.
The Good Food Purchasing Program standards, set forth by the Center for Good Food Purchasing, are based on five core values:
- Local economies: Support small and mid-sized agricultural and food processing operations within the local area or region.
- Nutrition: Promote health and well-being by offering generous portions of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and minimally processed foods, while eliminating artificial additives and reducing salt, added sugars, saturated fats and red meat consumption. Improve equity, affordability, accessibility and consumption of high-quality, culturally relevant food in all communities.
- Valued workforce: Provide safe and healthy working conditions and fair compensation for all food chain workers and producers, from production to consumption.
- Environmental sustainability: Source from producers that employ sustainable production systems that reduce or eliminate synthetic pesticides and fertilizers; avoid the use of hormones, routine antibiotics and genetic engineering; conserve soil and water; protect and enhance wildlife habitats and biodiversity; reduce on-farm energy and water consumption, food waste and greenhouse gas emissions; and increase menu options that have lower carbon and water footprints.
- Animal welfare: Provide healthy and humane care for farm animals.
READ MORE: Good Food for All: San Francisco Hospitals and Jails Commit to Improve Food Purchasing
