Summary
This document, though lengthy, is correspondence from a Councilmember and Mayor of the City of Berkeley regarding a resolution that would accelerate the city’s transition to plant-based procurement. The early parts of the document outline a goal to reduce animal-based food served by the City of Berkeley by 50% prior to 2024. The document goes on to outline current programs and initiatives that have brought the city closer to achieving this goal: “Meatless Mondays”, Green Monday (a program that specifically requires serving plant-based foods in city-owned institutions and provides for food choice education relative to climate change), adoption of Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) standards for procurement, and the Support Vision 2025 for Sustainable Food Policies. The document notes that further adjustments in procurement standards will reduce the amount of animal-based food served in the city’s senior centers, summer camps, and jail. Motivation for the resolution is steeped in concerns for the environment and human health, but the procurement standards adopted by the city do outline a concern for animal welfare. The resolution also provides for a report to be produced on the progress towards the goal by 31 January 2022. Attached to this correspondence are several relevant documents, including, but not limited to: the GFPP standards, the Milan Urban Food Pact, Friends of the Earth Climate Friendly Food Purchasing Policy, and Meat of the Matter (a “climate friendly” food purchasing guide).