{"id":1031,"date":"2026-04-30T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/amanda-farias\/?p=1031"},"modified":"2026-05-05T09:50:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T13:50:12","slug":"council-member-amanda-farias-advances-new-york-city-council-resolution-183-urging-the-passage-of-good-food-ny-procurement-state-legislation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/amanda-farias\/2026\/04\/30\/council-member-amanda-farias-advances-new-york-city-council-resolution-183-urging-the-passage-of-good-food-ny-procurement-state-legislation\/","title":{"rendered":"Council Member Amanda Far\u00edas Advances New York City Council Resolution 183 Urging the Passage of Good Food NY Procurement State Legislation\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong>
April 30, 2026<\/p>\n

New York, NY<\/strong> – New York City alone spends nearly $500 million each year to serve more than 220 million meals across schools, hospitals, shelters, senior centers, jails, and other City programs. Under current state procurement law, city agencies are often required to award public food contracts to the lowest responsible bidder. In practice, that mandate prioritizes price over food quality, local sourcing, and labor conditions within public supply chains. <\/p>\n

At the New York City Council Stated Meeting on Thursday, April 30, Council Member Amanda Far\u00edas led the Council in advancing Resolution 183, urging the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S.7638-B<\/strong><\/a> \/ <\/strong>A.8091-B<\/strong><\/a> – state legislation that would enable public institutions, including NYC agencies, to preference New York State farmers and utilize our public dollars to advance public health, racial equity, good jobs, and climate resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen agencies are required to accept the lowest bid, quality can suffer. We now have an opportunity to move toward a more responsible, farm-to-table approach\u2014prioritizing local producers, strengthening our regional agricultural economy, and ensuring the food served in our public institutions meets a higher standard from source to service,\u201d said Council Member Amanda Far\u00edas.<\/strong> \u201cWe must continue raising the standard for how we feed people, and I am proud to be working alongside advocates, labor, and partners to demand better when it comes to food quality, nutrition, transparency, and accountability\u2014especially for those who depend on these meals every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The State bill amends General Municipal Law 103 to allow agencies to award certain food contracts to a New York State-based bidder whose proposal is within 10% of the lowest bid, provided that the bidder meets defined, values-based procurement standards.<\/p>\n

Those standards include support for local and regional economies, a valued workforce with fair labor practices, environmental resilience, animal welfare, racial equity, improved food quality and nutrition, and supply chain transparency.<\/p>\n

Senator Michelle Hinchey, who serves as the Chair of the NY Senate Agriculture Committee and is the prime sponsor of the Good Food NY bill said,<\/strong> “Our purchasing power is one of the strongest powers we have as a society, and our Good Food NY Bill will help communities across the state, like New York City, to harness that influence in their food purchasing decisions, increasing equitable access to good food for all. From school cafeterias to public hospitals and nursing homes, our bill will set New York on a path to lead the country in values-based food procurement that models what we want our food system to be: sustainable, nutritious, equitable, and local. I thank Council Member Amanda Far\u00edas for leading this resolution and the New York City Council for supporting our bill. I look forward to passing it again this session and the Governor signing it into law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prime sponsor of the Good Food NY bill and NY Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said<\/strong>, “Municipalities are recognizing that it is time to update New York’s outdated food procurement laws by passing the Good Food NY bill. This important legislation will provide New York farms and food producers more opportunities to provide our public institutions with healthy, sustainable, and ethically produced local food. I am glad to see the growing municipal support for this important legislation and look forward to getting this bill across the finish line.”<\/p>\n

Resolution 183 is an important acknowledgment of New York City\u2019s commitment to advancing a more equitable, sustainable, and values-based public food procurement system. This resolution, which calls for the passage of the Good Food NY Bill by the New York State Legislature and Governor Hochul, comes at a critical moment, as New York State procurement law continues to constrain public agencies\u2019 ability to align food procurement with food system values, including support for local farmers, public health, racial equity, good jobs, climate resilience, animal welfare, and supply chain transparency. The Good Food New York bill is the necessary next step to remove these barriers and make values-based food procurement more possible for public agencies,\u201d said Ribka Getachew-McLean, Director of the New York Good Food Purchasing Program Campaign at Community Food Advocates. <\/strong>\u201cWe are thrilled that the City Council took a major step in adopting Resolution 183, because the Good Food NY bill would ensure that public agencies are equipped with the tools they need to procure food in alignment with the values and needs of the communities they serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

The current version of the legislation reflects years of sustained work to address concerns raised in earlier iterations of the bill. Following the prior 2024 veto, the Good Food NY Bill has undergone multiple revisions to ensure alignment with the Governor\u2019s office and agricultural stakeholders such as the Farm Bureau.<\/p>\n

Those revisions include establishing New York State-based sourcing as a central requirement for eligibility, integrating farmer-supported programs like New York Grown and Certified, incorporating a \u201cbest value\u201d procurement framework already in use by New York City, and explicitly including dairy as an example of a nutritious food group. This update allows agencies to preference vendors that source food locally, employ fair labor practices, and provide food that meets higher quality standards\u2014factors that can be challenging to include in public food procurement under existing law.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (\u201cRWDSU\u201d) knows that when public dollars are spent without regard for how food is produced, it often comes at the expense of fair wages, safe working conditions, and basic dignity on the job,\u201d said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.<\/strong> \u201cThe Good Food NY Bill is about raising the standard\u2014ensuring that taxpayer-funded contracts support employers who do the right thing by their workers, protect the environment, and uphold humane practices. By shifting to values-based purchasing, this legislation helps build a food system that works for everyone, not just the lowest bidder. We\u2019re proud to stand alongside food justice groups and advocates across the state to pass this bill this session.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to the State legislation, Council Member Far\u00edas introduced Intro 533<\/strong><\/a>, a local law to establish a Good Food Purchasing Program in New York City. The program would set standards across key categories, including local economies, environmental sustainability, valued workforce, nutrition, and animal welfare, and would require ongoing evaluation of agency food contracts.<\/p>\n

However, full implementation of New York City\u2019s Good Food Purchasing Program depends on changes to State law. Without passage of S.7638-B \/ A.8091-B<\/strong>, New York City agencies remain legally constrained to lowest-bid procurement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about fixing a system that prioritizes the lowest price, even when it sacrifices better outcomes for New Yorkers,\u201d added Council Member Far\u00edas. <\/strong>\u201cThe state bill has been carefully revised to reflect concerns raised at every level, and what remains is a practical, flexible approach that allows us to make better choices when they are available.\u201d<\/p>\n

For nearly 10 years, labor unions, food system workers, and community organizations have called for procurement policies that regard food distribution as a matter of public health, economic investment, and basic dignity.<\/p>\n

“We applaud New York City’s leadership in advancing Resolution 183, calling on the New York State Legislature and Governor Hochul to pass the Good Food New York bill. This would open essential pathways to ensure the city’s values-based food purchasing goals can be implemented with integrity. The rights and well-being of food workers, local small and mid-scale businesses, animals raised for food, and the environment should be priorities when public agencies select food vendors, and this bill supports everyone who has a hand in purchasing food on behalf of the City to act on those values,” said Colleen McKinney, the Chief Ecosystem Strategy Officer at the Center for Good Food Purchasing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cLike so many people across the country, New Yorkers are hungry for a more humane and transparent food system that doesn\u2019t perpetuate the cruelest factory farming practices,\u201d said Michelle Villagomez, Senior Director of Municipal Affairs for the ASPCA.<\/strong> \u201cWe thank Councilwoman Far\u00edas for leading efforts to affirm the Council\u2019s support for the Good Food NY Bill, and we encourage state lawmakers to advance this commonsense measure, which will ensure greater access to better food options for students and communities, and establish New York as a leader in the country\u2019s shift to a more resilient food system.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCity Harvest prides itself on rescuing high-quality and nutritious foods to deliver to New York City\u2019s food pantries and soup kitchens, because we know the value of nourishing food for our neighbors\u2019 health and well-being,\u201d said Keith Carr, Senior Policy and Government Relations Manager at City Harvest.<\/strong> \u201cThat\u2019s one of the reasons we strongly support the Good Food NY Bill, because it would improve the quality of food provided by critical institutions like schools, hospitals and senior centers\u2014the places that community members rely on for most and sometimes all of their meals. And by creating a path for public institutions to direct the hundreds of millions of dollars they spend across New York City on food that supports our local food economies, as well as prioritizes the health of our communities and environment, supports food workers, prioritizes racial equity, and ensures animals are treated humanely, GFPP also has the power to create a more equitable and just food system from top to bottom.\u201d  <\/p>\n

“Passage of the Resolution 183 would support the work that Brooklyn Packers does in bringing high quality, local, nutritious, and delicious food to our communities in New York City. As a champion of our state\u2019s farming communities, who constitute the city\u2019s essential foodshed, we believe that the city should use its procurement tools to support local agriculture. This connects positive community health outcomes to the wellbeing of the farmers and producers making food in New York State. Passage of Resolution 183 amplifies our core belief that price alone should not be the determinant of health outcomes in our communities in New York City.” said Steph Wiley, Co-Founder of Brooklyn Packers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The Good Food NY bill provides an opportunity for state lawmakers to ensure greater equity in our food supply chain, benefitting local farmers and farmworkers alike. By allowing public institutions in New York State municipalities to leverage their purchasing power to uphold shared values that serve the greater good, New York can encourage more ethical practices throughout the supply chain, including respect for workers\u2019 rights. The Worker Justice Center of New York applauds the New York City Council for passing Resolution 183, recognizing the importance of advancing fair and responsible public food procurement,” said Emma Kreyche, Director of Advocacy, Outreach & Education at the Worker Justice Center of New York.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Our communities deserve a food system that prioritizes their food needs and values. The Good Food NY Bill does this by providing a critical pathway to support local farmers and food businesses, care for workers, protect the environment and animals, and increase residents’ access to fresh, healthy, and culturally-preferred foods. We are excited to see the groundswell of support for the Good Food NY Bill from municipalities across the state and applaud the New York City Council for passing Resolution 183,” said Jessica Gilbert-Overland, Director and Co-Founder of the Good Food Buffalo Coalition. <\/strong><\/p>\n

“A diverse food system is a resilient one. Prioritizing producers historically excluded from vendor processes through values-aligned procurement strengthens local infrastructure, expands access to culturally relevant foods, and incentivizes sustainable land stewardship. Equity Advocates recognizes Resolution 183 as a vital step toward a more equitable and just food system for all New Yorkers,” said Mikaela Perry, Advocacy Manager, Equity Advocates.<\/strong>
<\/strong>
Passage of S.7638-B \/ A.8091-B<\/strong> would give New York City and municipalities across the state the legal authority to align food purchasing with the standards they are already working to achieve.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong>
April 30, 2026<\/p>\n

New York, NY<\/strong> – New York City alone spends nearly $500 million each year to serve more than 220 million meals across schools, hospitals, shelters, senior centers, jails, and other City programs. Under current state procurement law, city agencies are often required to award public food contracts to the lowest responsible bidder.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

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