Taylor Pate, Campaign Manager for the NYS Good Food Purchasing Program, is a passionate advocate for sustainable, values-based institutional food procurement policies. With expertise in coalition-building and food security, Taylor has been instrumental in advancing the Good Food NY bill to promote fair, local, and environmentally-conscious food procurement in New York’s public institutions. We spoke with Taylor about how community engagement drives food policy reform and the critical intersections between food, labor, and environmental sustainability. Taylor’s work underscores the power of collaborative advocacy in shaping a resilient, equitable food system.
HOW DO YOU SEE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SHAPING FOOD POLICIES?
Taylor Pate (TP): In order to develop effective food policies that meaningfully address a problem and meet the needs of a community, community engagement and involvement are key. In our work at Community Food Advocates, we engage members of the community through coalition building. Bringing together and galvanizing key community stakeholders is the most effective way to build a comprehensive plan that addresses community needs. In my work specifically, we’ve brought together partners from communities across the state with our New York State Good Food Purchasing Program Coalition (NYS-GFPP). It includes farmers, animal welfare advocates, environmental lawyers, farmworkers, unions, and many other organizations and individuals who are invested in shaping the impact that institutional food procurement has on their communities and public policy. In practice, this looks like collaboratively developing strategies to engage members of the legislature, conducting outreach to procurement leaders within public institutions like schools, hospitals, and senior centers, and speaking directly with farmers and farmworkers to understand what changes to agricultural policy would address the challenges they currently experience with regards to accessing institutional contracts.
HOW DO YOU SEE THE INTERSECTION OF FOOD POLICY WITH OTHER SOCIAL ISSUES (SUCH AS HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, OR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY) IN COMMUNITIES YOU SERVE? CAN YOU PROVIDE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THESE INTERSECTIONS IMPACT YOUR WORK?
TP: Food policy intersects with many other social issues. For example, policies that curb certain emissions and pollutants from agricultural production have a direct impact on the environment and public health. In my work specifically, our coalition considers the various facets of the food chain, which include environmental sustainability, labor, animal welfare, nutrition, and local/regional agricultural production in order to understand how we can change procurement policy. Our NYS-Good Food Purchasing Program Coalition has worked tirelessly over the past several years to pass the Good Food NY bill in the NYS Legislature, which would enable public institutions to reevaluate their purchasing policies and align their purchases with farmers and distributors that are actively trying to improve in these food system value areas. Frankly, it’s impossible to think about ‘good food’ without thinking about the myriad of ways that food impacts the people who make and harvest it, animals, the planet, and the way that it affects our bodies.
WHAT ARE THE TOP 2-3 FOOD POLICIES YOUR ORGANIZATION BELIEVES NEED IMMEDIATE CHANGE OR IMPROVEMENT? HOW IS YOUR ORGANIZATION ADVOCATING FOR THESE CHANGES?
TP: The NYC-Good Food Purchasing Program Coalition, NYS-Good Food Purchasing Program Coalition, and the Good Food Buffalo Coalition have worked really hard over the last several years to secure the passage of the Good Food NY Bill in the NYS Legislature, which modifies General Municipal Law 103. If signed by the Governor, it would change this antiquated part of law that has only allowed public institutions to purchase from the cheapest bidder for the last 50+ years. We need a more transparent food system that gives New Yorkers the power to advocate for our communities’ needs. The Good Food NY bill creates a path for public institutions to direct the millions of dollars that they spend on food to prioritize local economies, food and farm workers, the health of our communities and environment, food workers, equitably sourced food, and humanely treated animals. Public money should reflect our values and the Good Food NY bill removes barriers that have long-kept public institutions hands tied.
In addition to values-based procurement policy, Community Food Advocates continues to advocate for universal free school meals for all students in the state of NY through the Healthy School Meals for All (HSMFA) campaign. In partnership with Hunger Solutions, we’ve worked hard to secure increased funding so that students across the state of New York will have the opportunity to access healthy school meals at no cost.
WHAT FACTORS COULD ELEVATE THIS POLICY ISSUE TO BECOME A PRIORITY FOR LEGISLATORS AND POLICYMAKERS?
TP: The pandemic showed us how precarious our supply chain is, especially because of its vast, interconnected, and global nature. It became even more apparent that it is critical to have more localized supply chain networks. Since then, Congress has introduced legislation that would prioritize identifying supply chain vulnerabilities and revitalizing domestic capabilities. In an effort to strengthen the state’s agricultural industry and increase resilience/capacity of our food system, Governor Hochul is also prioritizing climate smart agricultural practices and increased purchasing of NYS products through initiatives such as the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) and Executive Order 32. It’s clear that the Good Food NY bill comes at a timely and critically necessary time and I hope that values-based procurement policy is an obvious priority for legislators and policymakers within NYS and across the country.
ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEE:
Taylor Pate is the Campaign Manager at NYS Good Food Purchasing Program. Taylor is responsible for building support around good food policy and coalition building throughout New York. Taylor received a Master of Science degree in Food Security and Development from the University of Reading in the UK and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and Politics from Hendrix College.
Acknowledgements:
We would like to thank Julia Greene for her assistance with reaching out to Taylor Pate on behalf of CUNY Urban Food Policy Monitor and for her input in the conceptualization and implementation of the community interviews part of this newsletter issue.
