Summary
This policy brief was prepared by Jessica Gilbert for the Partnership for the Public Good (PPG) to describe the potential benefits of adopting the provisions of the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) in Buffalo Public Schools (BPS). In summary, the brief begins by laying down an overview of the state of U.S. public school lunch policy, with it generally being the case that nutritional quality and taste is sacrificed for the sake of cost, convenience, and quantity. The report emphasizes how large institutions, like BPS, can use the GFPP in compliance with USDA regulations to control how their food is produced, given their large market share, and it uses five principles to guide how production ought to be altered: the effects on local economies, nutrition, workforce conditions for those in the food supply chain, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare.The report is structured by outlining BPS’ efforts in each area and what remains to be done accompanied by actionable suggestions. Finally, the brief ends with recommendations for BPS that align with GFPP’s values, including using scratch cooking to reduce processed foods, increasing community involvement, and continuing to use approaches the brief identified as effective. Overall, this brief provides a comprehensive application of GFPP’s policy to a specific municipality. However, given the report was published in 2018, some of the research and policies/legislation cited may be outdated.