The federal government directly purchased about $9 billion worth of food in 2022, including supplies for school districts, food banks, low-income seniors, Native American reservations, prisons, military bases and more. Each of these sectors represents a plethora of choices about what food to buy and where to buy it from—but what do those choices mean, and what are their repercussions? How can federal food procurement policy address the United States’ climate goals, health priorities, economic needs and the necessity of an equitable and inclusive American workforce?
In March, federal policymakers, agency officials, researchers and other food experts engaged with these and related questions at “The Future of Federal Food Purchasing: Transforming Policy & Practice,” a two-day summit co-hosted at the George Washington University by the GW Global Food Institute (GFI) and the Federal Good Food Purchasing Coalition (FGFPC).