Sectors unite to create a values-based food purchasing framework

A multi-sector aligned vision to improve and promote values-based food procurement in health care

Envision what it would be like if everyone who walked into a school, hospital, or university cafeteria had access to healthy and nourishing food. Now picture a world in which every public-serving institution has the support it needs to invest in farms and food businesses, conserve natural resources, advance racial equity, promote animal welfare, and build community health and wealth.

These are the values that inspired the Anchors in Action alliance to develop the Anchors in Action Framework for Values-Based Food Procurement. The framework creates new opportunities for supply chain partners to access institutional markets and be more responsive to the product and reporting needs of institutions. It also helps institutions identify vendors and community partners for increasing the amount of values-aligned food they purchase.

The Anchors in Action framework served as the catalyst for Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth’s updated Healthy Food in Health Care standards, which were released in May of 2023. The standards offer guidance, tools, and resources to help hospitals and health systems engage with their peers and other stakeholders across the value chain and achieve organizational priorities such as reducing their climate impact. They also support baselining, goal-setting, and implementing a successful food program that increases the health and sustainability of health care food service operations as well as staff, patient, and community-facing programs that address healthy food access.

We are excited to see the work of the Anchors in Action alliance come to life through the updated standards and to be in alignment with other institutional sectors working on values-based food procurement. By coming together around a common set of values and integrating them into local and national programs and policies, Health Care Without Harm and its Anchors in Action partners are building a united movement to change our food system.

To learn more:

• Check out the updated Healthy Food in Health Care standards and the guidance, tools, and resources offered for setting up a successful food program at your facility.
• Watch this video and discover how Practice Greenhealth’s new food resources can reduce your hospital’s climate impact.

• Visit Practice Greenhealth to learn more about membership options and industry partner opportunities.