In 2018, the Good Food Buffalo Coalition was launched to bring the Good Food Purchasing Program to Western New York because children and all people deserve access to healthy food, and food that values workers, animals, and the environment, while lifting local communities out of poverty.

Our member organizations work collaboratively in a grassroots coalition representing the six values of the Good Food Purchasing Program. Together, we educate the community about the food system, increase awareness about impacts and outputs, as well as economic opportunities of the food system, and we advocate that public institutions in Buffalo and Erie County operate in consideration of public values to ensure that those institutions are accountable to the needs of the people and places they work for and around.

We currently have 30 member organizations (listed below). Organizations can join our coalition by completing this online form.

About us:

• Learn about the Good Food Buffalo Coalition history here.
• Our mission, vision, and priorities can be found here.
• Our Coalition’s governance structure can be found here.

Racial equity, youth and community engagement, transparent and inclusive governance structures, and research have been primary focuses of founding members of the Good Food Buffalo Coalition.

Some highlights of our work include:

• Conducting a community-driven GFPP action planning process to engage coalition members and the public, ensuring that those most impacted by food injustice in our region guide the Good Food Buffalo Coalition’s next steps towards passing and implementing the GFPP at Buffalo Public Schools.
• Following the NYS Legislature’s passage of the Good Food NY Bill, the Good Food Buffalo Coalition continues to advocate for Governor Hochul to sign this bill into law.
• Hosted a Policy Roundtable discussion with national partners and several East Buffalo food justice leaders to learn more about the GFPP’s potential to foster racial justice.
• On-boarded the coalition’s leadership council who hired the coalition’s first director.
• Engagement of local producers and growers in a Farmers & Legislators Forum and a NYS Black Farmers Listening Session.
• Families, students, and community members engaged through a local harvest festival event in collaboration with Buffalo Public Schools.
• Supply chain research conducted by the Social Justice in the Global Food System graduate capstone course at the Yale School of the Environment.
• Students engaged in the campaign and their perspectives highlighted through a video and podcasts.
• A report on the state of school food in Buffalo and a shorter policy brief published by coalition member Partnership for the Public Good (PPG).
• Mission, vision, and values statements and a governance structure created and agreed up by the coalition membership.

Learn more about our coalition’s work and history at bit.ly/gfbc_history.