Government Purchasing to Improve Public Health

Increasing concern about obesity and other nutrition-related health problems spurred governments to develop more robust and targeted approaches to foster healthier diet at a population level. Government routinely uses its regulatory power to alter activities and behaviors that influence public health, for example the New York City ban on the use of transfats in restaurants. Yet, in some scenarios, government may more effectively promote positive change through other means, including its purchasing or procurement authority. Emerging efforts using government purchasing power to stimulate demand for healthier products provides a pathway to healthier food purchasing.

• Read a paper describing the procurement process from the initial stage of developing a healthier solicitation to the final stage of achieving outcomes. Article available on the Social Science Research Network (SSRN)
• Listen to a free webinar featuring the research from this project: "Harnessing the Power of Procurement to Improve Food Environments"