Plant-Based by Default Legislation Wins in LA County, Paving the Way for City Procurement Programs

Written by: Annie Taranshansky

This week, Los Angeles County passed a motion that requires all departmental food procurement to be plant-based by default. Politicians Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis, both Members of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors, successfully spearheaded the effort that has resulted in this groundbreaking legislation with the support of Mercy for Animals. This is a massive win for plant-based foods; L.A. County is the most populated county in the United States, boasting a population of nearly 10 million and holding a populace larger than that of 40 individual U.S. states.

Policy Leading Shifts Toward Plant-Based Foods

The new law requires all food service providers in county facilities to procure plant-based options by default and will follow a multi-pronged strategy, in collaboration with the L.A. County Department of Public Health, to outline best practices and updates to the county’s nutritional standards, detail recommendations for plant-based procurement, and track and measure progress via the county’s emissions data. More specifically, the legislation calls for the incorporation of “up to date, evidence-based recommendations on purchasing, selling, and serving of more plant-based and plant-forward foods,” as well as additional recommendations for the expansion and increased awareness of plant-based food procurement – signaling that the County is highly interested in increasing participation and overall buy-in of plant-based eating among its constituents. The Department of Public Health has been instructed to work with all local county departments – including Health Services, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works – and report back on the motion’s progress in 120 days.

Plant-based Pathways to Public Health and Sustainability Goals

The motion points to several factors contributing to the landmark decision, including the environmental and health benefits of plant-based diets. “Transforming the county’s food procurement policies presents a unique opportunity to advance health outcomes, address climate change, and meet economic goals”, the legislation reads. The new law is also a product of the County’s Sustainability Plan – specifically Action 134, which calls to “promote plant-based menu options through nutrition and food procurement policies in food service settings such as County facilities, hospitals, higher learning institutions, school districts, jails, and other food settings.” While goal-setting is indeed essential to change, action creates impact, and we are thrilled to see proactive followthrough from the County.

The legislation’s language is bold and compelling – citing the environmental and health data front and center. Evidence-based research has shown time and again that our food system, which centers industrial animal agriculture, is responsible for a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions along with a wide range of debilitating health conditions associated with Western, animal-based diets. As the legislation points out itself, “The global food system is responsible for more than 30% of human-caused GHG emissions [and] the production of animal products generates 90% more greenhouse gasses than plant-based alternatives [...] Plant-based foods also promote better health outcomes and significantly lower environmental impacts compared to the average meat-based diet.”

Plant-Based Options to Meet the Triple Bottom Line

A major city moving towards plant-based procurement is refreshing, and L.A. County seems to be following a policy trend that has already made its way through other big cities in the United States. The motion itself even refers to New York City’s plant-forward legislation passed last year, transitioning their city’s public hospital system to plant-based by default and reducing “both its costs and food-related carbon emissions by 36 percent”, and increasing “patient satisfaction of the revamped menu […] to more than 90 percent.”

Unfortunately, this trend has been met with backlash from the meat and dairy lobby, who have raised restrictive and antagonistic legislation in response – including the DAIRY PRIDE Act, and the so-called FAIR Labels Act – intentionally designed to limit consumer options and muddy the waters as major cities scale their sustainability goals in line with steady demand for plant-based foods. Momentum for city-wide plant-based awareness and procurement campaigns continues to kick up, however, spanning across the country – from Northern California’s Bay Area to Washington. D.C. – coast to coast.

Policy that supports consumer demand for plant-based foods is crucial to our industry’s sustained success. As consumers increasingly prioritize their own health and sustainability impact, state and local governments are tasked with the responsibility to make way for individual dietary needs, especially in procurement programs where participants already often have limited food options to begin with. Our 2022 State of the Marketplace: Foodservice report showed that 43% of consumers agree that the availability of plant-based food and beverages improves the restaurant experience always or at least some of the time – and we’re thrilled to see local governments responding in kind. This legislation is a profound step for the plant-based food industry, and we are proud to represent a wide, diverse variety of Los Angeles-based members who specialize in food service. We applaud L.A. County for producing well-rounded legislation that includes the checks and balances necessary to consistently deliver plant-based options by default in the long term.