The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has adopted a motion to reduce the Californian county’s greenhouse gas emissions through its food purchasing practices.
The OurCounty Sustainability Plan calls for the promotion of plant-based menu options across Los Angeles County’s 111 food contracts with businesses including hospitals, schools, institutions and other facilities.
As part of the motion, the LA Department of Public Health will review its nutritional standards for prepared foods, snacks and beverages. It will incorporate up-to-date evidence-based recommendations on purchasing, selling and serving more plant-based and ‘plant-forward’ foods for integration into the county’s food services.
The updates will return to the board with recommendations from partner departments on how to increase participation and interest, including providing incentives, with an aim of expanding plant-based food options in the contract solicitation process.
A review will also be conducted of the county’s food purchasing carbon footprint, considering how to track the different types of foods purchased and recommending how it can reduce the amount of animal products within this, as well as reducing food waste.
Finally, a report will be conducted capturing the total amount of meat, poultry, fish, dairy and egg products – and the total amount of plant-based food products – that are currently contracted to vendors, by LA’s Department of Health Services.
The new law is spearheaded by Los Angeles County supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis, working closely with the animal welfare charity Mercy for Animals.
Solis commented: “Los Angeles County is one of the largest contracting entities in Southern California. To that end, it is critical that we look at our food contracting processes and how we can incorporate alternatives that can lower our carbon footprint and reduce our contribution to global warming.”
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