Transforming Local Food Supply Chains through Values-Based Institutional Procurement
Stuart School of Business research presentation by: Professor of Environmental Management and Sustainability Weslynne Ashton, M. Zia Hassan Endowed Professor Elizabeth J. Durango-Cohen, and Gaudy S. Morera
Transforming Local Food Supply Chains through Values-Based Institutional Procurement
- Professor of Environmental Management and Sustainability Weslynne Ashton
- M. Zia Hassan Endowed Professor Elizabeth J. Durango-Cohen
- Gaudy S. Morera, Stuart Ph.D. in Management Science and Analytics student
Abstract:
In 2017–18, the City of Chicago and Cook County adopted the Good Food Purchasing Program, which aims to reorient public institutions’ large spending on food towards values-aligned products. This shift was expected to have a transformative impact on local food supply chains by creating significant opportunities for local food producers, particularly those in urban and minoritized communities, to sell into these channels. However, 5+ years on, very little has changed in actual purchases. Local government officials and food policy advocates have partnered with a team of researchers, funded through NSF’s Civic Innovation Challenge, to deepen their understanding of persistent barriers to change, explore the tradeoffs associated with distinct pathways to mobilizing locally-produced food to meet the community needs, and specify how a knowledge platform can bridge the gap in local supply and institutional demand. In this talk, we share some of the preliminary research findings, and the plan for the one-year Community Food Mobilization in Chicago (CF-MOB) project.
All Illinois Tech faculty, students, and staff are invited to attend.
The Friday Research Presentations series showcases ongoing academic research projects conducted by Stuart School of Business faculty and students, as well as guest presentations by Illinois Tech colleagues, business professionals, and faculty from other leading business schools.