Support Good Food Purchasing Standards in the City of Boston

*Update 4/5/2019*: Councilor Michelle Wu’s Good Food Purchasing Program ordinance goes into effect TODAY! Thank you to all who work on this issue and called their city councilors to advocate for food purchased by the City of Boston to be sourced either from suppliers with high animal welfare standards or that the city replace some of its volume of animal products with healthy, plant-based alternatives. Boston could not have made these improvements without your support!

*UPDATE 3/20/2019*: Today, the City of Boston voted to adopt Councilor Michelle Wu’s Good Food Purchasing Program ordinance, which promotes the procurement of humanely-sourced animal food products and healthy plant-based foods. The MSPCA joined a diverse coalition of stakeholders in this effort, all of whom share a passion to make our food system healthier, more just, and more humane. The successful passage of this ordinance will not only bring healthier food to Boston institutions, including Boston Public Schools, but also demonstrates beautifully the desire of the citizenry for responsibly-sourced food. Following Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s approval of the ordinance in the coming days, Boston’s GFPP will go into effect. Read more…

*UPDATE 3/7/2019*: Boston City Councilors will likely vote on the ordinance regarding Good Food Purchasing Standards in the City of Boston, put forth by City Councilor Wu, on March 20th. We urge Boston residents to contact their City Councilors and tell them to vote yes on this ordinance. Find out how, below.

*Update 12/6/2018*: On December 6, 2018, the MSPCA’s Dr. Elizabeth Magner testified at Boston City Hall in favor of this ordinance on behalf of our constituents.

“[This ordinance] virtually ensures Boston’s compliance with the Question 3 law, it reflects the will of the citizenry that our food come from humanely raised animals, and it relieves animal suffering. It would guarantee that, at a minimum, no food product purchased by the City of Boston came from a sow in a crate to tight to turn around, a hen who suffered from a broken leg without veterinary care, or a dairy cow who had been given prophylactic antibiotics.”

The MSPCA supports an ordinance regarding Good Food Purchasing Standards in the City of Boston, put forth by City Councilor Wu. This ordinance would require that food purchased by the City of Boston be sourced either from suppliers with high animal welfare standards or that the city replace some of its volume of animal products with healthy, plant-based alternatives. The ordinance would follow the model of the Good Food Purchasing Program, which has been successfully implemented in the cities of Los Angeles, Boulder, Chicago, and more. In addition to sourcing humanely-raised food products, this program’s standards also require that institutions purchase food meeting high standards for environmental sustainability, nutritional value, support for local economies, and a valued workforce. The MSPCA has joined a diverse coalition of stakeholders in this effort, all of whom share a passion to make our food system healthier, more just, and more humane. Coalition partners include HSUS, the ASPCA, UFCW Local 1445, the Food Chain Workers Alliance, the American Heart Association, the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, Massachusetts Farm to School, and Health Care Without Harm.

We urge Boston residents to contact their City Councilor and tell them to vote yes on this ordinance.

Residents should contact their 1 district councilor and 3 At-Large councilors to ask for their support.

1. Call the following three At-Large councilors:
   Althea Garrison, (617) 635-4217
   Michael Flaherty, 617-635-4205
   Annissa Essaibi George, 617-635-4376
   (Michelle Wu is the sponsor of the ordinance.)
2. And your one district councilor (see list below). If you are not sure who your district councilor is, you can look him/her up here.

When you call, you can emphasize that this ordinance would:

• guarantee that Boston is in compliance with the provisions of 2016’s ballot question 3, which will go into effect in 2022 and mandate that food sold and raised in the Commonwealth come from animals that have enough room to stretch their limbs, lie down, and turn around;
• dovetail with the Mayor’s Imagine Boston 2030 city plan, which emphasizes the importance of mitigating our climate impact; and
• benefit our city’s schoolchildren and many public employees by ensuring that they have healthier food options.

Residents can also attend the hearing on the ordinance this Thursday, December 6, at 1pm, in the Iannella Chamber on the 5th floor of Boston City Hall.

Thank you for helping us speak for those who have no voice.