Booker, DeLauro Introduce Local Procurement Act to Increase Federal Purchasing of Locally Grown Food

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) introduced the Local Procurement Act, legislation aimed at maximizing local and domestically grown food purchases by the United States Department of Agriculture. The bill would amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to ensure that USDA uses its immense purchasing power to support local and regional food systems and to create market opportunities for small and mid-sized farms.

In response to a request from Senator Booker, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a study on federal food procurement which revealed that the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) accounted for 57% of all federal food purchases, totaling $12.5 billion in fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, and fish from fiscal years 2018 to 2022. The study also found that while federal law mandates domestic food purchases, there is no requirement for local sourcing, and AMS lacks comprehensive data on local sourcing practices.

"The GAO report published earlier this year revealed that federal agencies purchase billions of dollars in fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, and fish with almost no consideration of the opportunity these purchases hold to strengthen our local food systems," said Senator Booker. "The Local Procurement Act will ensure that our federal food purchases bolster local economies and support small and mid-sized farms in the United States. We have a responsibility to use USDA's food purchases to keep our local food systems resilient and to continue investing in small farmers and ranchers."

"We should take every opportunity to strengthen competitiveness of smaller producers, as we have seen how contracting to a few large producers can create monopolies and hurt competition," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "The UDSA should be purchasing locally and regionally sourced foods to the maximum extent possible. The Local Procurement Act would ensure that UDSA will maximize the purchase of foods from local food systems. This will improve the resilience of local food systems, strengthen resources available to small farmers and ranchers, grow local economies, and importantly, strengthen consumer safety."

"America has witnessed first-hand the risk of depending on a highly concentrated and centralized food production system. In response, Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are committing resources to bolster local food packing and processing. Senator Booker's bill is essential to the viability of this new effort to promote local markets as the federal government's purchasing power can serve as an important anchor that will greatly enhance their prospects for long term success. This bill is good for strengthening supply chains, good for farmers and ranchers, and good for consumers," said Bill Bullard, CEO of RCALF.

"Farm Action Fund is proud to support the Local Procurement Act because it is a victory for America's farmers and ranchers. We can build a more resilient food system by leveraging federal procurement to support local producers and expand opportunities for a more diverse array of farms. We thank Senator Booker and Congresswoman DeLauro for this important legislation and look forward to working alongside them to ensure its passage," said Sarah Carden, Research and Policy Development Director at Farm Action Fund.

The Local Procurement Act would give direction to USDA when purchasing food products for:

• For meat and poultry, USDA must, to the maximum extent practicable, purchase products that bear a "Product of USA" or "Made in the USA" label.
• For fruits and vegetables, USDA must, to the maximum extent practicable, purchase products either from within the state where the product will be delivered or from an adjacent state.
• For future purchases of meat, poultry, fruit, or vegetable agricultural products, the Secretary of Agriculture must establish and utilize selection criteria for contracts that does not limit evaluation factors to just the lowest price or highest technical rating
• For any meat, poultry, fruit, or vegetable agricultural product, the Secretary of Agriculture must give priority to contracts which procure from small and mid-sized farms.

To read the full text of the bill, click here.