Case studies and evaluations at federal, state, and local levels for government food purchasing and food service policymakers, advocates, organizations, and individuals.

Federal Case Studies and Evaluations

Values-Aligned Food Purchasing and Service: Promising Examples from US Federal Agencies and Programs (2023) | Full Report | Executive Summary | Federal Good Food Purchasing Coalition: This report describes several promising examples of federal agencies, as well as one commodity food program, that are working to align their food service operations or purchasing programs with their values. These examples demonstrate what is possible through federal food procurement and underscore the need for policies that make these practices the norm.
Climate-Friendly Food Service: A Case Study of Plant-Forward Menus at the Veterans Health Administration and Select Federal Agencies (2023) | Federal Good Food Purchasing Coalition: This case study describes one effort to integrate more climate-friendly, plant-based recipes into menus at Veterans Health Administration medical centers. It also includes an overview of how other federal agencies offer plant-forward menus or plant-based options in their food service operations. These promising examples provide a foundation for scaling up climate-friendly food service across the federal government to have an even greater impact.
The HHS Hubert H. Humphrey Building Cafeteria Experience: Incorporation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 into Federal Food Service Guidelines (2012) | NORC at the University of Chicago: This case study describes the process followed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. General Services Administration to develop the Health and Sustainability Guidelines for Federal Concessions and Vending Operations (the original precursor to the Food Service Guidelines for Federal Facilities) and translate them into a request for proposals for the HHS Hubert H. Humphrey Building cafeteria in Washington, DC. It also identifies lessons learned implementing the Guidelines in the Humphrey building and other federal buildings in DC.
Promoting Sustainability in Food Service: A Qualitative Exploration of Barriers, Facilitators, and Best Practices in Veterans Affairs Hospitals (2023) | NOPREN Food Service Guidelines Work Group: This resource summarizes the methods and results of a study that explored the barriers, facilitators, and best practices for sustainable food service strategies among food service personnel in Veterans Affairs hospitals.
Food for the Parks: Case Studies (n.d.) | Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, National Park Service: This report describes efforts to implement values-aligned food procurement and service practices in National Park concessions. The report highlights four concessions, which represent varied geographics and types of parks, contract sizes, and site-specific challenges. It provides information about existing programs and platforms for scaling them to new park units.

State, Local, and Institutional Case Studies and Evaluations

Integrating Healthy Nutrition Standards and Practices Into Food Service Contracting in a Large US County Government (2024) | Preventing Chronic Disease: This article describes how the Los Angeles County government implemented a 2011 Board of Supervisors policy calling for the Department of Public Health to ensure that healthy nutrition standards and practices were incorporated into all food service and vending solicitations or requests for proposals across all 37 county departments.
Future Policy Award 2018: The Good Food Purchasing Program, USA (2021) | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems:Adopted first by the City of Los Angeles in 2012, the GFPP creates a transparent supply chain and helps institutions to measure and then make shifts in their food purchases. In the years since, the GFPP has catalyzed a nationwide movement to establish similar local policies. This article details its implementation since 2012, provides information on the impacts the GFPP has had on the agroecology of regions in the US food system, and recommendations for policy changes that could catalyze more accelerated impact.
Managing the Cost of Good Food Case Studies (2022)| Center for Good Food Purchasing: These case studies identify cost mitigation purchasing and operational strategies used by three large school districts participating in the GFPP. They were developed to complement A Good Food Cost Management Analysis (see Implementation Best Practices)
The Los Angeles Good Food Purchasing Program: Changing Local Food Systems, One School, Supplier, and Farmer at a Time (n.d.), PolicyLink, Center for Good Food Purchasing: Published a few years after the pioneering adoption of the GFPP in Los Angeles, this policy brief highlights how the program enabled Los Angeles Unified School District to create sufficient demand to shift its supplier’s practices, which ultimately catalyzed a larger, regional shift in purchasing practices.
Balanced Menus: A Pilot Evaluation of Implementation in Four San Francisco Bay Area Hospitals (2010) | Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future: Balanced Menus is a voluntary program that seeks to improve nutrition and benefit the environment by reducing meat purchasing among participating hospitals by 20% and shifting towards serving more sustainably produced meat within 12 months. This 2010 report describes a pilot evaluation of Balanced Menus Program implementation in four Bay Area hospitals, including estimates of the savings achieved in cost and carbon footprint.
Shrinking the Carbon and Water Footprint of School Food: A Recipe for Combating Climate Change (2017) | Friends of the Earth: This case study reports how the Oakland Unified School District was able to significantly reduce its carbon footprint by replacing a share of its meat, poultry, and cheese purchases with plant-based proteins. These actions also saved the district money and improved students’ access to healthful food.
Integrating Sodium Reduction Strategies in the Procurement Process and Contracting of Food Venues in the County of Los Angeles Government, 2010-2012 (2014) | Journal of Public Health Management and Practice: This article reviews integrated efforts to implement sodium reduction and other healthy food procurement strategies in County of Los Angeles food venues, including the role of a 2011 County Board of Supervisors motion that requires all county departments to consult with the Department of Public Health prior to the release of any solicitations for new or renewing food service and vending contracts.
The development and adoption of the first statewide comprehensive policy on food service guidelines (Washington State Executive Order 13-06) for improving the health and productivity of state employees and institutionalized populations (2019) | Translational Behavioral Medicine: This paper describes the facilitators and barriers to the development and passage of Executive Order 13-06 to inform future food service guideline development and passage in other agencies, states, and municipalities. The University of Washington Center for Public Health Nutrition evaluated the implementation of the Executive Order annually for the first five years after adoption. The implementation reports may be found here.
Philadelphia: Local Nutrition Standards Guide City Food Purchasing for Nearly a Decade (2023) | CityHealth: This case study describes the development and implementation of citywide nutrition standards in Philadelphia.
Boston’s Good Food Purchasing Policy: Building a more transparent and equitable food system (n.d.) | Healthy Food Policy Project:This case study describes the process of a grassroots coalition and city councilmember working together to develop and pass an ordinance requiring Boston city agencies to implement the GFPP. It also describes initial implementation challenges and anticipated impact.
Best Practices for Financial Sustainability of Healthy Food Service Guidelines in Hospital Cafeterias (2018) | Preventing Chronic Disease: This study used interviews with 8 hospital food service directors to learn more about barriers and facilitators to financial sustainability of healthy food service guidelines in retail food service operations.
Healthy Snack Vending: The Chicago Park District Experience & Resource Guide (2012) | Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities; Chicago Park District; Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children: This report is intended to inform those interested in pursuing healthier snack vending initiatives. Part I is a narrative account of the process the Chicago Park District (CPD) followed to develop, execute, and enforce its healthier snack vending efforts. Part II presents results of a two-year evaluation investigating CPD healthier snack vending outcomes. Part III provides analysis of a sample of healthy vending initiatives across the United States.
Palomar Health: Sustainable, Local, and Organic Food Purchasing (n.d.) | Practice Greenhealth: This case study highlights one California public health care system’s efforts to serve more sustainable, local, and organic produce.
Hackensack University Medical Center: Better Meat Case Study (n.d.) | Practice Greenhealth: This case study highlights Hackensack University Medical Center’s achievement of 98% of meat and poultry purchased being raised without routine antibiotics.
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center: Local Food Procurement and Provision (n.d.) | Practice Greenhealth: This case study describes efforts by Dartmouth Hitchcock’s Food and Nutrition Services to offer more nutritious, locally sourced, and sustainable meals. The department has expanded its network of New England Vendors to provide greens, baked goods, eggs, meat, and dairy to customers.
Practice Greenhealth Plant Forward Future Case Study Series (n.d.) | Practice Greenhealth: These short case studies highlight hospital food service directors’ experiences with increasing plant-forward menu offerings to meet their Cool Food Pledge commitment: