Climate-Friendly Food in Government Purchasing

Federal, state, and local governments spend billions of dollars on food each year to feed school children, military service members, hospital patients, people incarcerated in prison, people receiving emergency food assistance, and seniors who rely on feeding programs. The food they purchase impacts the environment and climate, public health, food chain workers, farmers and ranchers, food businesses, consumers, and farmed animals. Public institutions can leverage this massive food purchasing footprint to mitigate climate change, advance racial equity, protect public health, improve nutrition security, and strengthen local economies, among other goals. This approach helps to ensure that public food purchasing advances, rather than undermines, the public good.  

 Serving more plant-based food options and reducing institutional purchasing of factory farmed meat and dairy in public settings is a high-impact strategy to mitigate climate change, improve public health and racial equity, and create market opportunities for producers and small businesses. 

Friends of the Earth’s Climate-Friendly Food Program advocates for public institutions to reduce the climate-impact of their food purchasing and food service operations and provides technical assistance to facilitate a shift towards healthy, delicious, and plant-forward menus.