Supervisor Mandelman introduces Good Food Purchasing policy for city hospitals and institutions

Supervisor Mandelman introduced an ordinance on March 3 to adopt a Good Food Purchasing Policy for San Francisco hospitals and city institutions. The proposal would guide how public food procurement aligns with values-driven standards such as worker protections, support for local economies, environmental sustainability, animal welfare and nutrition.

Mandelman said the policy builds on existing models used by institutions in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Boston, Austin and in San Francisco Unified School District. He reported that the sheriff's department and the Department of Public Health completed baseline assessments of current food vendors and that the city is prepared to set implementation goals over the next two years to shift jails and hospitals toward value-based purchasing.

"Good food purchasing policies guide how public dollars are spent on food procurement and whether those food procurement funds are spent on vendors that share our values for a valued workforce," Mandelman said. He said the measure grew out of two years of coordination and hearings and thanked the sheriff's department and DPH for baseline work.

Why it matters: The ordinance would alter procurement decision-making in city institutions, potentially changing vendor selection and purchasing practices in the sheriff's department and city hospitals and influencing local food supply chains.

What comes next: The ordinance was introduced and will proceed to committee and subsequent hearings; implementing agencies will work on goal-setting and vendor assessments as required.