What is this indicator?
This goal is measured by averaging local, fresh and organic produce sales at community institutions including the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD), Santa Monica College, and Santa Monica Hospitals. “Fresh”foods are unprocessed foods; “local” is defined as food grown in the southern half of California; and “organic” food is grown without the use of pesticides,herbicides, or fertilizers, is GMO-free, and cannot contain artificial preservative or additives.
Why is it important?
Increasing the amount of fresh, local and organic produce purchased by community institutions leads to health and environmental benefits through lower chemical exposure and greenhouse gas emissions among other benefits. Leveraging the purchasing power of these large community institutions can support local farmers and sustainable growing practices on a wide scale.
Fresh, unprocessed produce is typically higher in nutrients,reduces the need for packaging, and requires less energy to produce than processed (i.e. canned) produce. Purchasing local food minimizes the amount of energy used in production, transportation and storage. Organic food has a lower environmental impact because pesticides and fertilizers pollute urban runoff and seep into ground water supplies—contaminating already-limited water supplies and causing health risks.Organic growing practices are less likely to deplete soils of critical nutrients and have lower risk of toxic exposures for both farm workers and consumers compared to conventional crop production.