By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Seattle is investing more than $1.3 million in annual food purchases from local farms and BIPOC-owned food producers through a new initiative designed to strengthen the regional food system and expand opportunities for historically underrepresented growers.
Known as Buying with Purpose, the initiative encourages city departments, community partners and major educational institutions to use existing food program budgets to purchase locally grown, sustainably produced and culturally relevant foods whenever possible.
According to city officials, the Buying with Purpose initiative does not require new taxpayer funding. Instead, it uses existing food program budgets to purchase food from suppliers that align with the city’s priorities for local economic development, environmental sustainability, racial equity, fair labor and access to healthy, culturally relevant foods.
“It’s really not new funding, actually,” explained Chris Iberle, Food Policy and Programs Advisor at Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) and project lead for Buying with Purpose. “It’s using current and ongoing funding for these programs that already exist in a new and exciting way to redirect and reinvest it, when we can, into more purchases from local, sustainable and equitable sources.”
The city’s more than $1.3 million investment is spread across eight food programs and dozens of partnerships with community-based organizations, including food banks, Human Services Department meal programs and produce incentive initiatives.
“The city and other major public institutions we’re partnering with are using our purchasing power for food and meal programs to reinvest in a more local, sustainable, equitable food system,” said Iberle. “Through Buying with Purpose, we’re trying to work together across institutions so that when we buy food, that purchase supports local farmers and supports BIPOC-owned food businesses.”
Seattle Public Schools is among the initiative’s largest institutional partners.
The district’s Culinary Services Department is working toward Eat Real Certification during the 2026-27 school year, a nationally recognized benchmark that promotes scratch cooking, reduces food waste and increases purchases from local producers. Seattle Public Schools already directs more than $200,000 in fresh food purchases to local farms through Washington State Department of Agriculture Farm to School grants and federal meal funding.
Through the city’s Healthy Food in Schools partnership, Seattle Public Schools also works with local suppliers including Cascadia Produce, Food Oasis and IRC New Roots to provide fresh fruits and vegetables through the Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Program, which delivers healthy snacks to participating classrooms.
“We see this as another strong example of what’s possible when Seattle Public Schools and the City work side by side, aligned around our students,” said Aaron Smith, director of Seattle Public Schools Culinary Services. “As we move toward universal meals, partnerships like this expand access to fresh, nutritious food while supporting local growers.”
Historically, many small-scale and BIPOC farmers have struggled to access institutional food contracts because of complex procurement requirements, insurance mandates and distribution logistics. Buying with Purpose seeks to remove those barriers by diversifying municipal supply chains and expanding opportunities for smaller producers.
The initiative currently supports more than 50 small-scale and BIPOC-owned food producers throughout the region. To help growers compete for institutional contracts, OSE is hosting networking events, providing technical assistance and developing resources to help farmers better understand the procurement process.
“Part of it is just outreach, getting the opportunity to sell to even medium or large institutions like this out in front of more farmers of various sizes,” said Iberle. “We want to help farmers navigate the procurement process and expand the pool of which farmers are aware, interested, and engaged.”
Rather than expecting small local growers to immediately meet the demands of large institutional buyers, the city has established geographic purchasing preferences that prioritize producers in King County before expanding to Pierce and Snohomish counties, Western Washington and the rest of the state.
Organizations such as IRC New Roots are also helping bridge the gap between local growers and institutional buyers. Working with immigrant, refugee and BIPOC farmers at Horse Neck Farm in Kent, New Roots helps producers develop the business capacity needed to meet the purchasing requirements of city meal programs.
The University of Washington is also incorporating the initiative’s values into its campus dining program. UW Dining plans to join the global Coolfood Pledge through its upcoming Sustainability Action Plan, using its purchasing power to reduce food-related carbon emissions while supporting regional food producers.
“When University of Washington buys from local farmers, fisheries and producers, we strengthen regional partnerships, support hardworking families and businesses, and bring fresher, more flavorful food to our students,” said Chef Tracey MacRae, associate director and executive chef at UW Dining. “These decisions are about more than what is on the plate. They are about living our values, investing in our future, and creating a dining program that our campus can feel proud of.”
The initiative extends beyond schools and universities. Programs such as Farm to Preschool are increasing the amount of locally grown produce served to families at 45 preschools, while the Seattle Food Committee is working toward sourcing 40% of its produce locally through coordinated group purchasing.
For Black farmers and other historically underserved producers, the shift from one-time grants to more consistent institutional purchasing represents an opportunity to build stronger businesses while expanding access to healthy food throughout the region.
“Overall, Buying with Purpose is really about spending our institutional and public food dollars more intentionally,” said Iberle. “It’s about aligning with our citywide and community values to make food more affordable, sustainable for the earth, supportive of local businesses and farmers, and equitable for everybody. This is just another exciting way that Seattle is growing this movement.”
