Chicago City Council

Center for Good Food Purchasing; Food Chain Workers Alliance; Chicago Good Food Purchasing Coalition

Adopted in 2017 by the Chicago Board of Education, the Chicago Public Schools Wellness Policy introduces new provisions that advance the health and wellness of students through strengthening school food policy, increasing access to nutritious foods, restricting junk food marketing, and promoting healthy classrooms and schools. The updated policy integrates the Good Food Purchasing Program, which provides a metric-based framework and tools that guide institutions to direct their food purchasing to suppliers that meet standards related to the program’s core values. The five core values consist of: (1) local economies; (2) environmental sustainability; (3) valued workforce; (4) animal welfare; and (5) nutrition. As Chicago Public Schools serve millions of free breakfast and lunches to students each year, it has been made a priority to provide better food through using procurement dollars to improve freshness, quality, and nutrition, while simultaneously creating opportunities for local, sustainable entities within the food system. Under this policy, the district is committed to values-based purchasing and providing healthy food for children in the city.