Bostonians: Contact your city councilors about The Good Food Purchasing Program

Bostonians: Contact Your City Councilors! 

Encourage adopting good food purchasing standards

The City of Boston has a great opportunity to use its tremendous purchasing power to support a sustainable, equitable, local food system. But City Councilors need to hear from you that this is an important issue for their constituents. This Thursday the Boston City Council is holding a hearing on an ordinance (Docket #0413), introduced by City Councilor Michelle Wu, that would adopt The Good Food Purchasing Program standards in the City of Boston. These standards require the City to direct its food buying power toward five core values: local economies, environmental sustainability, valued workforce, animal welfare, and nutrition. This policy would redirect a significant portion the Boston Public Schools food budget to local and sustainable farms, fishermen, and food producers. As the first city on the East Coast to pass the policy, it would set a powerful precedent for other cities toward building the food system we need.

As a Boston resident, we need you to contact your district councilor and 4 At-Large councilors now to ask for their support for the Good Food Purchasing Standards. Let them know that you support a healthy, sustainable food system in Boston.

1. Call three of the four At-Large councilors:
   • Ayanna Pressley, 617-635-4217
   • Michael Flaherty, 617-635-4205
   • Annissa Essaibi George, 617-635-4376
   • Michelle Wu is the sponsor of the ordinance and strongly supports its passage. Feel free to contact her to thank her for introducing the ordinance, 617-635-3115
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.

Simply ask them to support Docket #0413, AN ORDINANCE REGARDING GOOD FOOD PURCHASING STANDARDS IN THE CITY OF BOSTON filed by Councilor Wu. See the official notice here. You can explain why these standards are important to you and why you think this is a good policy for the City of Boston.  

You 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. Public comment is welcome at the hearing.