Chicago, Cook County

City and County Partner Toward a Good Food Future

In 2017, the City of Chicago became the first outside of California to formally adopt the Good Food Purchasing Program. Cook County—where Chicago sits—followed closely in 2018, notably becoming the first adopter to include racial equity strategies in their policy. With leadership from the City and County Departments of Public Health, along with the Chicago Food Policy Action Council, the region’s collaborative effort is ensuring that links are made between increasing demand for good food and the development of more racially and socially-equitable supply chains.

Population:
5,150,233

Race Demographics:
24% Black / 0.7% Indigenous / 8% Asian / 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander / 65% White (42% Non-Hispanic) / 2% Two or More Races / 26% Hispanic

Poverty Rate:
13%

Chicago Public School Free and Reduced Price Lunch:
79%

Estimated Public Food Spend:
$138,600,000

Local Leadership:
Chicago Department of Public Health, Cook County Department of Public Health, Chicago Food Policy Action Council, Good Food Task Force, Midwest Consortium on Equity, Research, and Food Justice

Curious to see where Chicago and Cook County institutions can invest their public food dollars locally? Use the map’s radius distance slider (left) to see how purchasing within a 50 mile, 250 mile, or 500 mile radius looks.