City and state lawmakers are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the Good Food NY Bill after it passed both houses of the state legislature.

The legislation looks to increase of money institutions can spend to purchase food from qualified in-state vendors, meaning more locally sourced nutritious food on kids’ plates.

The Good Food NY Bill, lawmakers say, would help to support local farms, jobs and communities, while providing students, seniors and patients with more fresh local food.

“The food system we envision for New York is one that supports local farmers and producers while ensuring that, no matter where you live across the state, you have access to fresh, nutritious food. Our Good Food NY bill is the clearest example of a nation-leading model that puts those values into action,” Sen. Michelle Hinchey, the Senate sponsor of the bill, said. “Wherever the state has a role in purchasing food — whether for students in school cafeterias, patients in hospitals, or our loved ones who enjoy meals at local senior centers — everyone should have equitable access to good food. I thank Council Member Mitchell Nowakowski for leading this resolution, the Buffalo Common Council for supporting our bill, and Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes for her partnership in getting it over the finish line this session. We urge the governor to sign it into law.”

While the agriculture industry in New York supports more than 160,000 jobs, the state has lost nearly 14% of its farms over the past decade, a press release states.

“The Good Food NY bill removes a harmful barrier that too often has locked local producers out of institutional markets,” said Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes. “This bill gives New York’s public institutions the ability to support our own farmers, workers, and regional economies. We are losing farms across our state but the Good Food NY bill helps to keep farms in business by creating more stable, sustainable, and reliable markets for New York producers. In turn, this creates more accessible fresh foods for all New Yorkers.”