Policy Tools You Can Use

Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC), with support from Mass. Farm to School Project and Farm to Institution New England, has recently completed a 4-page handout titled, “Tools for Advocates: Increasing Local Food Procurement by State Agencies, Colleges, and Universities.”  Click here to read the document. The report summarizes research conducted over a two year period, including interviews with institutional food service operators and state agency representatives.  It represents our integrated approach to encouraging local foods procurement, an approach that includes policy and advocacy work as well as education and technical assistance.

This handout describes the basic types of legislation local states can establish in order to increase local procurement by state agencies, colleges and universities, and provides recommendations for practices and policy initiatives that can help to strengthen already existing laws.

Massachusetts’ local procurement law sets a preference that requires state agencies to purchase in-state food products if they are not more than 10% more expensive than out-of-state food products.  Illinois’ local procurement law sets a target that, by 2020, 20% of all food and food products purchased by state agencies and universities shall be local farm or food products.

This is a timely document that offers advocates recommendations to help craft strong legislation and policies that capitalize on the increasing momentum of the local foods movement and support the local agricultural economy.   “Tools for Advocates” compliments a comprehensive report on local food procurement by state colleges and universities in Massachusetts published in Sept. 2012.   FLPC is currently finalizing a report on local food procurement by state agencies in Massachusetts which will be available on their website soon.  Click here for more information about FLPC and their research. Click here for more information about Farm to Institution New England and its regional research and pilot projects.