Councilor Flaherty recommends passage of Good Food Purchasing Standards in the City of Boston

The proposed ordinance seeks to support value based purchasing and procurement practices in the City that support local food industries, workers rights, healthy and humane care for farm animals, among other values.
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BOSTON - Boston City Councilor At-Large Michael Flaherty, Chair of the Committee on Government Operations, has announced that he has recommended passage of an amended version of the proposed ordinance regarding Good Food Purchasing Standards in the City of Boston.The proposal, filed by City Councilor At-Large Michelle Wu, seeks to help the City of Boston leverage its purchasing and procurement power to support local economies, nutrition, a valued workforce, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare. The ordinance is modeled after the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) developed in 2012 by the Center for Good Food Purchasing.
The Committee recommendations were made after a public hearing and a public working session, both convened by Councilor Flaherty. During both meetings, the Committee engaged with wide range of stakeholders including Laura Benavidez, Executive Director of Food and Nutrition Services for Boston Public Schools, Jim Carvalho of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Suzanne Adely of the American Society for the Prevention of  Cruelty to Animals, Stephanie Shapiro Berkson of the Boston Citywide Parent Council, Brett Tolley of the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, and Sherina McKinley of the CommonWealth Kitchen. The Committee discussed costs, logistics, transparency and confidentiality regarding the procurement process, and heard feedback on how the Good Food Purchasing Standards program works in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which is the first school district to adopt the program. In addition to public testimony received throughout the Committee process, the Committee on Government Operations  received additional testimony from constituents e-mailing and calling in favor of the ordinance.
Throughout the Committee process, Councilor Flaherty highlighted that the amended proposal will afford Boston Public School and other agencies or departments the flexibility to tailor their standards to meet the specific needs of the relative agency or department. “This ordinance allows our departments and agencies to take incremental steps towards more value-based purchasing and procurement practices while the transparency and reporting requirements ensure that agencies/departments are accountable to their goals and the public,” stated Chairman Flaherty.