Let’s change the way we feed people.
Food holds our memories, health, and future. But the way we currently access and consume food is a reflection of a broken system. GFPI Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Initiative works to ensure the places that are feeding Chicagoland communities purchase and serve food that advances a good food system for all. Good food is: accessible, equitable, racially just, healthy, fair, local, humane, and sustainable.
We have a bold vision to reimagine the food system for the entire Metro Chicago area — one that puts those structurally excluded from control at the center of it.
Welcome to our table.
Holding systems — and ourselves — accountable.
To create a more equitable food system, Metro Chicago GFPI is focusing on these key areas.
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Implementing the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP)
By creating a transparent and equitable food system with five core values in mind — local economies, environmental sustainability, valued workforce, animal welfare, and nutrition — GFPP transforms the way public institutions purchase food.
We’re committed to fully implementing the Good Food Purchasing Policy with the City of Chicago, its Sister Agencies, and the Cook County Government.
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Developing an Equitable Supply Chain
Our food system, which has been unfair and unsustainable, has led to racial and health disparities in our communities for many years. We believe in creating an equitable, inclusive regional food supply chain that can help meet the institutional demand for good food that everyone can access.
By actively supporting BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) food producers and businesses to sell their products to public and community-based meal programs, cafeterias, and concessions, we are working to improve our food system.
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Creating Good Food Culture
Making good food more accessible to those we feed starts long before food touches the plate. So, we’re normalizing the purchasing of good food across all community-based institutions in the Chicago region, including schools, hospitals, and others.
We work to engage both institutional food service staff and meal program recipients in building food literacy and directing Good Food Purchasing Initiative activities.
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Research and Evaluation
We’re dedicated to aligning our approach with GFPI goals. We partnered with researchers from the Midwest Collaborative for Equity, Research, and Food Justice (M-CERF) to develop and update frameworks for evaluating the impact of GFPI implementation and GFPP adoption on the metro Chicago food system, alongside our strategic planning work.
This framework guides investigations of our impact on racial and social equity in both the production and accessibility of high-quality, culturally relevant food for all regional Chicago communities.
Systems can change.
That’s why we need you.
Change starts with inviting everyone to the table. Our coalition model is an opportunity for members to have a voice in GFPI’s decision-making, participate in working groups, and access resources and support.
Read the materials below for more detailed information and to join the coalition.
Check out these resources to learn more about our work and how you can take part.
Stay up to date with our progress at GFPI.
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Food Justice Summit: What To Know Before You Go
Our staff has put together a document of all the information you need to be equipped for the in-person day of the summit on March 8th at South Shore Cultural Center.
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19th Annual Chicago Food Justice Summit Key Note Speaker: Alita Kelly
Join us for a transformative session with Alita Kelly, a visionary in the realm of food systems innovation.
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Newly launched GFPI Community Fund Announces 2023 Grant Recipients to Pursue GFPP-Aligned Projects Supporting Metro Chicago Community Meal Sites and Public Institutions
