City agencies serving food and beverages will be given purchasing guidelines that call for healthier and more culturally appropriate food options for residents, according to an executive order signed Thursday by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
The order establishes nutrition standards, best practice guidelines and, for the first time, defines “nutritious foods” and other terms for agencies that serve food on city-owned properties.
The standards should help city departments and partnering nonprofits buy healthier food options, with the goal that those agencies will reduce the amount of sugar-sweetened beverages, candy and other foods that are linked to chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes.
“Ensuring every Chicagoan no matter their Zip code has access to nutritious, affordable, and culturally appropriate food is critical to our work of building healthy, whole, and safe communities across this city,” Johnson said in a statement. “This order brings together the full force of government to make healthy eating a priority in our schools, at our parks, and all public spaces.”
The executive order calls on the city’s Department of Public Health to facilitate the nutritional guidelines. CDPH Commissioner Olusimbo Ige said the order aims to change eating behaviors and widen access to healthy foods across the city.
“CDPH and the City of Chicago are working together to encourage and improve nutritional standards through an approach of substituting processed, high-sodium and high-sugar foods and beverages with low-fat, low-sugar, affordable, accessible, and culturally appropriate choices,” Ige said in a statement.
Some agencies may be exempt from the mandatory purchasing guidelines, for example, those that are already regulated through state or federal guidelines, according to the order. But city officials said the executive order is especially vital because of cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.