A new law set to take effect in January 2010 has cleared the way for state agencies in Oregon to purchase local food, even if it is more expensive.The law was pushed by Kat West, sustainability manager for Multnomah County, Oregon. West discovered that local agencies made no effort to purchase local foods because they were not supposed to. The law as it was previously required agencies to find and accept the lowest possible bid. This meant that if apples from New Zealand were cheaper than apples produced in a local county, the purchase was made from New Zealand.
However, West pointed out that what was left out of the calculations were the environmental costs of transportation, such as carbon emissions, which could make the food more expensive in the long run.
West worked with the Portland/Multnomah Food Policy Council to change the state purchasing code. Their effort resulted in the passage of House Bill 2763. The bill allows, but doesn't require, state and local agencies to purchase local food at a premium of up to 10%. It also lets the agencies define "local" and adjust the premium they are willing to pay. For example, a school district can decide to pay 10% more for food grown within its county and only 5% more for food grown within the state.
For more information on the law, read the Beaverton Vallety Times article by Peter Korn available by clicking here.
Posted: 08/14/09
