Center for Good Food Purchasing

What Center for Good Food Purchasing does

The Center for Good Food Purchasing is a Berkeley-based nonprofit founded in 2015 as the national home for the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP), which the organization originally developed at the Los Angeles Food Policy Council before spinning off in response to multi-city demand. The Center operates a single core product — GFPP — a metric-based framework under which public institutions (school districts, municipalities, hospitals, correctional facilities) commit via ordinance, resolution, or executive order to align their food purchasing with five equal-weighted values: local economies, health, valued workforce, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. Adoption is operationalized through a five-step implementation process (baseline assessment, goal-setting, action planning, progress tracking, verification) supported by the Good Food Purchasing Standards v3.0 scoring methodology, the Good Food Leader Seal (Bronze/Silver/Gold) recognition system, the Good Food Impact Hub (an online calculator for policymakers), and the Action Planning Toolkit.

The Center serves three primary verticals — K-12 public schools, city and county governments, and healthcare/corrections institutions — across 39+ U.S. cities and counties, with 98+ institutional adopters collectively spending over $1.1 billion annually on food and impacting 450+ million meals per year. As a project of Community Partners (a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor), it does not charge institutions for participation; revenue is generated entirely through grants from philanthropic funders (Rockefeller Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, 11th Hour Project, Builders Vision Philanthropy, CLIF Family Foundation, PantaRhea Foundation, Wallace Center, FNO Fund) and government sources (USDA, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: the Center works through 13 local coalitions and national partner organizations, convenes the biennial Power of Procurement Summit, and co-leads the Federal Good Food Purchasing Coalition (60+ members) for federal-level advocacy.

Name

Center for Good Food Purchasing

Legal name

Center for Good Food Purchasing

Website

https://goodfoodpurchasing.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Good Food Purchasing is a Berkeley-based nonprofit that operates the Good Food Purchasing Program, a values-based procurement framework adopted by 98+ public institutions across 39+ U.S. cities and counties, helping schools, municipalities, hospitals, and correctional facilities align their $1.1B+ annual food spend with five social and environmental values.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Institutional Food Procurement Policy Services

NAICS

Special Food Services (7223)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Systems & Value Chain Development for Nutrition (BPADAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Menu Planning, Nutrition & Dietary Accommodation Services (Allergens, Special Diets) (EDAEAEAD)

Keywords

• Food procurement policy
• Values-based purchasing
• Institutional food standards
• Food systems consulting
• Supply chain transparency

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Philanthropic Funding: The Center operates as a nonprofit organization funded through grants and donations from foundations, government agencies, and individual donors. Support is provided by funders including 11th Hour Project, Builders Vision Philanthropy, CLIF Family Foundation, FNO Fund, Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD), PantaRhea Foundation, USDA, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Wallace Center.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Center for Good Food Purchasing operates the Good Food Purchasing Program, a metric-based framework that helps large public institutions align their food purchasing with five core values: local economies, health, valued workforce, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. It provides standards-based scoring (Good Food Purchasing Standards v3.0), technical assistance, verification, and Good Food Leader ratings (Bronze, Silver, Gold) to schools, cities, counties, hospitals, and other institutions at no cost. The Center also operates regional initiatives such as the Good Food Purchasing California Collaborative and Good Food for Michigan, plus the Good Food Impact Hub, an online policy calculator tool.

Product overview

The Center for Good Food Purchasing operates a single unified core program—the Good Food Purchasing Program—supported by several integrated sub-products and initiatives. The core Good Food Purchasing Program provides a metric-based framework for institutions to align food purchasing with five values (local economies, health, valued workforce, animal welfare, environmental sustainability). Key supporting products include the Good Food Purchasing Standards v3.0 (scoring methodology), the Good Food Impact Hub (impact calculation tool), the Good Food Leader Seal (recognition/rating system), and the Action Planning Toolkit (implementation resources). Regional initiatives include the Good Food Purchasing California Collaborative and Good Food for Michigan project. The Center also publishes reports such as the Local Food for Schools Report and co-leads the Federal Good Food Purchasing Coalition for policy advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Good Food Purchasing Program: A policy framework helping public institutions align their procurement dollars with a holistic set of social and environmental values, based on five core values: local economies, health, valued workforce, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability.

Products and services

• Good Food Purchasing Program A metric-based, flexible framework that helps large public institutions direct their food purchasing toward five core values: local economies, health, valued workforce, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. Includes supply chain transparency tools, evaluation, goal-setting, progress measurement, and Good Food Leader ratings for participating institutions.
• Good Food Purchasing Standards v3.0 A scoring methodology and rating system used to analyze how institutional food purchasing aligns with the Good Food Purchasing Program values. Provides institutions, policymakers, and community-based organizations with a framework to use public food dollars to support community values.
• Good Food Impact Hub An online policy tool providing calculators that enable policymakers, advocates, and communities to calculate and articulate the positive impacts of adopting sustainable and equity changes to local purchasing practices, including climate, labor, and public health outcomes.
• Good Food Leader Seal A recognition and rating system (Bronze, Silver, Gold) issued to participating institutions that meet Program targets, allowing institutions to earn higher ratings and differentiate themselves.
• Action Planning Toolkit

Quantifiable outcome

• $18.7 billion investment generates nearly $40 billion economic return
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and supporting.

• Food Chain Workers AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore national partner that supports local partners around organizing and coalition-building, including strategy, tactics, and leadership development for the Good Food Purchasing Program network.
• Real Food MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore national partner that supports communications, telling local and national stories of impact, and supporting local coalitions to build public support for the Good Food Purchasing Program.
• FullwellcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Good Food Purchasing California Collaborative and Good Food for Michigan Project, providing strategic support and case studies to document how small and mid-size farms support institutions.
• Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Good Food Purchasing California Collaborative, providing technical assistance to suppliers and connecting school districts and institutions to farm-based food hubs.
• Los Angeles Food Policy CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Good Food Purchasing California Collaborative. Originally developed and launched the Good Food Purchasing Program at the Los Angeles Food Policy Council before the Center was created.
• Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner in the Good Food for Michigan Project, which aims to expand the number of Michigan institutions purchasing local food and showcase the benefits of partnerships between farmers and institutions.
• Michigan State University Center for Regional Food SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the Good Food for Michigan Project, contributing research and expertise to expand local and regional food markets and strengthen Michigan's food system.
• National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerKey advocacy partner engaged in federal food and farm policy efforts, including the Farm Bill. The Center participates in NSAC Lobby Day and joint advocacy campaigns.
• Health Care Without HarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of the Federal Good Food Purchasing Coalition and partner in Anchors in Action alliance, working to drive food system change by unifying demand within institutional networks.
• Friends of the EarthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of the Federal Good Food Purchasing Coalition, engaged in advocacy to transform federal food purchasing toward more sustainable and equitable practices.
• Center for Science in the Public InterestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of the Federal Good Food Purchasing Coalition, contributing expertise in nutrition policy and public health to the coalition's advocacy efforts.
• USDAflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey government partner, with the Center engaging in federal efforts to strengthen values-aligned procurement and exploring opportunities for USDA to support institutional purchasing values through programs such as Local Food for Schools.
• Community PartnerscoreOthersThe Center for Good Food Purchasing is a project of Community Partners, which serves as its fiscal sponsor and provides administrative infrastructure.
• ASPCAsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting expansion by sharing expertise on animal welfare issues in food systems and advocacy.
• Chef Ann FoundationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational food and farm organization supporting expansion by sharing expertise, resources, and advocacy support for school food transformation.
• Compassion in World Farming (CIWF)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization providing expertise on animal welfare in food production systems.
• HEAL Food AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational food and farm organization supporting expansion by sharing expertise on policy, research, and coalition building.
• Farm to School NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting expansion by sharing expertise on farm to school initiatives and local food procurement.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/center4goodfood
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-good-food-purchasing
• Instagraminstagram.com/goodfoodformi
• Xx.com/center4goodfood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for Good Food Purchasing