Practice Greenhealth

Local purchasing

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Vibrant and resilient regional economies are a forum for communities to regain power in decision-making within their local food system and the land that supports it. In this guidance section, we outline best practices for supporting community wealth building and investment in local and diverse food businesses through your purchasing decisions.

 

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Initiatives

Make purchases that reflect your values.
  • Goal: 25% of total food spend 
  • Sample milestone: 5% of total food spend over 12 months
  • When possible, prioritize purchasing hyper-local food grown/raised or processed within 50 miles of your institution.
  • Goal: 5% of qualifying local spend
  • Source underutilized produce and seafood whenever possible. Many of the seafood species in our local waters are underutilized because they are unfamiliar, yet make excellent substitutes for more commonly-known fish.
  • Buy according to the seasons and make use of the freshest food in your region. Local foods that are in season can be price competitive with foods sold nationally.
  • Purchase local food from businesses owned by people who have experienced negative systemic social and/or economic impacts such as (but not limited to) women, veterans, persons with disabilities, or people of color. Look for suppliers representing Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE). Some of the certifications to look for include:
    • Minority Business Enterprise (MBE)
    • Women Business Enterprise (WBE)
    • Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE)
    • Women Owned Small Business (WOSB)
  • Goal: 15% of qualifying local spend
  • Sample milestone: 5% of total food spend over 12 months
  • Purchase local food from suppliers that identify as people of color. 
  • Goal: 5% of qualifying local spend
University of Vermont Medical Center

The University of Vermont’s Center for Rural Development examined the effect of the University of Vermont Medical Center’s local purchasing on the economy. In 2012, the hospital spent $1.78 million on local food, resulting in a total economic output ranging between $3.53 million and $4.71 million, creating 24 to 30 jobs. The hospital’s purchasing had an economic multiplier ranging from 1.98 to 2.64, meaning that for every dollar spent on local food by the hospital, an additional $0.98-1.64 was added to the local economy.
 
Support values-aligned producers and suppliers.
  • Goal: 5% of qualifying local spend
  • Purchase food directly from farmer-owned businesses, cooperatives, or food hubs.
  • Goal: 5% of qualifying local spend
  • Purchase food from a locally owned and operated distributor.
  • Goal: 25% of qualifying local spend
  • Ask your vendors to help identify local foods by listing source of origin so you can track and share your progress. For products that are not grown locally (internationally grown products such as coffee, tea, cocoa), look for products that are produced by small-scale farmers and farmer-owned cooperatives.
  • Goal: 1% of qualifying local spend
Build partnerships.
  • Partner with community-based organizations that promote education and training in ecological and regenerative agriculture for suppliers, including food service workers.
  • Partner with local suppliers in advance planning, contracting and/or establishing MOUs regarding intent to purchase that minimizes risk to small and mid-size suppliers. Although the focus is on school districts, this webinar is a great example of how to buy food from local producers using a forward contract, and it offers insight that can be easily adapted for health care.
  • Work with local/state agricultural marketing efforts to support farmers and ranchers. These programs often provide new connections for institutional purchasers to producers in their region along with discrete product promotional resources for institutions to use to market or share the stories.
Cleveland Clinic

In 2008, five Cleveland anchor institutions, including the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, created a local wealth-building and jobs cooperative. The co-op supports several businesses including Green City Growers, a hydroponic greenhouse producing local food. University Hospital purchases lettuce from Green City Growers along with numerous other businesses and institutions. Many of Cleveland Clinic’s facilities are sourcing 100% of their lettuce from Evergreen Cooperatives.
 
Invest in your community food system.
  • Support community-driven opportunities for local farms and food businesses to market their products 
  • Invest in community-driven initiatives that promote job growth or business ownership opportunities for socially or economically impacted communities and entrepreneurs.
  • Invest resources (money, infrastructure, or staff capacity) in community organizations supporting access to land, capital, and market access for suppliers who are people of color, and other economically impacted populations. 
  • Develop and promote resources to support small and mid-sized local suppliers of color to finance MWBE and food safety certifications.
  • Make land or infrastructure available (via lease, cooperative agreements, or other means) to support the development and growth of farmers, ranchers, fishers, and other food businesses owned by a diversity of people of color, and other economically and socially impacted communities. Black Oregon Land Trust and Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust are examples of organizations that hospitals have engaged with to support land and infrastructure access for farmers of color.
Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente provided more than $1.2 million in grant funds and technical assistance to support increased access to healthier local foods in Oregon and southwest Washington from 2011-2014. Kaiser Permanente worked with: 11 school districts to expand procurement of locally produced food, 12 Head Start Centers to serve locally grown fresh produce, one correctional facility to expand its community garden by 56% producing 5,000 pounds of organic vegetables and herbs per year and install a greenhouse, and 10 CSA farms to offer 75 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) paid shares for 300 individuals.

“The Local Food Solutions project aims to not only bring fresh produce to the community but also support local farmers, businesses, as well as reducing their carbon footprint.” – José Bravo, Campaign for Healthier Solutions

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