Overview
- City Council asked staff to examine how Ann Arbor’s food-purchases and policies are aligned with the A2Zero carbon neutrality plan. The plan calls for spending more than $200,000 to promote plant-rich diets in the next ten years.
- According to the September documentA recent study found that animal-based agricultural emissions are twice as high as those associated with plant-based. According to the University of Oxford, 83% of farmland in the world is used for livestock production. This means that only 18% of global human caloric and 37% of global protein consumption are provided by livestock. This could be replaced by plant crops, which would free up farmland and remove an additional 8.1 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent annually for the next 100 year. Plant-based diets could increase health and longevity, reduce chronic disease risk factors and improve mental well-being.
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Ann Arbor has made 1,188 food purchases in the last three fiscal years for approximately $112,000. According to a March 2022 food purchasing audit, Pepsi received $23,000 more than Ann Arbor, while $45,000 a year went to other food purchases. Missy Stults is the Sustainability and Innovations Manager. She listed five priorities that the city should be considering as part of a cultural shift to purchase plant-based foods and healthier options.
- Pepsi can re-work the drink options at city vending machine and other points of sale through an existing contract or by establishing new contracts. These options will include more nutritious and healthier choices, ideally, locally sourced.
- Develop a list of preferred food items for city snack bars and city events. The list should include options that are low in greenhouse gas emissions, plant-based alternatives, support local food systems, and minimize waste packaging.
- You can create a directory of preferred caterers, restaurants, and other eateries for catering city events. The focus should be on options that are low in greenhouse gas emissions, offer plant-based alternatives, support local food systems, and minimize waste packaging.
- Engage, educate and train city employees regarding the value of sustainable foods.
- Join the Washtenaw County Food Policy Council to have your staff attend meetings and work with them to establish a sustainable working group.
- Missy Stults stressed that continued exposure to plant-based foods can help normalize and lead to acceptance. She suggested that all beef and dairy-based foods be eliminated by 2030 as part the sustainability framework.
Transcription
David Fair: This is 89 WEMU. I welcome you to Issues of the Environment this week. Ann Arbor will spend approximately $200,000 to encourage plant-rich diets in its residents over the next decade. It may appear to be a health-related measure. But that’s not what the plan is about. What is it? Today, we’ll dig a little deeper with our guest. Missy Stults from the City of Ann Arbor is the Sustainability Innovations manager. Thank you so much for your time today. We are glad to have you back at WEMU.
Missy Stults: David, thank you for having me. It’s always a pleasure.
David Fair: I don’t know the exact time the idea has been floating around. But I do know that City Council asked staff to investigate Ann Arbor’s food purchasing practices and to determine whether those policies are in line with A2Zero Climate Action Plan. Is there a reason City Council made that request?
Missy Stults: Yes, there are some historical aspects that this builds on. One is that the city has an environment preferable purchasing policy. This guides a lot about our decision making from how we think about it, procure food, and when we attend conferences. Is it encouraging employees to use public transit? It’s a general policy, and it doesn’t have much structure. It’s more of a framework. Council passed A2Zero (our carbon neutrality and equity program) in June 2020. One of the actions included in that plan was to encourage more sustainable food choices in the community. These things came together. Council Member Nelson proposed a resolution asking staff members to reflect on how they buy food in their city. Recognizing that we don’t buy a lot of food, it was suggested that we consider these values and how we can apply them to our daily operations. So, that was the resolution’s purpose.
David Fair: Now that you have brought it up, what type of food does the city buy and for what purpose?
Missy Stults: Yes, there are two buckets. We looked at 2020, 2021. We also looked at 2019, 2020, and 2021. Of course, everyone will admit that there are some very unusual years in the most recent years. The parks department was our largest purchaser. They bought food for vending, events, and for the camps that exist. These purchases are slightly different to the second category which would be for employee events, such as mandatory training where we might have snacks on hand or an employee recognition program when someone is retiring. For example, we often bring a cake to celebrate an individual.
David Fair:On 891 WEMU, we continue our discussion on Environment and the conversation with Missy Stults, Ann Arbor sustainability and innovation manager. What direction is Council asking you and other staff members to investigate the matter?
Missy Stults: I love that question. Two directions. This means that one direction is internal. We have been working a lot more externally. Last month, we hosted an event on sustainable food. We have been working closely with A2Zero’s collaborators to promote sustainable food choices. I want to take a moment to acknowledge that sustainable food is a big concept. When we think about it, we can see multiple categories of plant-forward diets. Not eliminating meat, but having other options on the menu. Can you have a traditional hotdog, but also a hot dog made from plant-based ingredients? People have the option of choosing. It’s not just about local food. It’s about places that value their workers and pay a living wages, places that treat animals humanely, and have good land stewardship. It’s also about food that’s nutritious. Sustainable food can be defined in many different ways. This is why I want to briefly frame it. I also sometimes view this from the perspective of my views on animal rights and greenhouse gas emissions. But that’s my life experience and what you get. That’s a big framework. Referring to your question, our team has been doing external work, engaging the community around sustainable foods. Ann Arbor Reduce, Reuse and Return, also known as A2R3, is an initiative that reduces single-use plastics. And some of our restaurants–Zingerman’s and El Harissa–are partnering with us on that project. We have been doing a lot more community tracing work and we look forward to expanding that. What’s next for the city? We’re going open up our contracts, and we’re going to start looking at options within all our purchasing. We will educate our employees on sustainable food. The goal is to create a framework and a point system that can be used by city staff and the public to identify the best options for sustainable food choices.
David Fair: I believe that to have a significant environmental and eco-friendly impact, you would also look at local foods and products.
Missy Stults: That’s right. Yeah. A lot of the buying that we do already is local. I’m trying very quickly to find the exact number, but it’s well beyond 50 percent. It’s often closer than 70% of the money that we spend as a community on local businesses. We want to keep doing that. As I said, we are not a large purchaser of food as a local government. However, we want to continue living the values that we believe in. We want to encourage the public to do the same. Over time, we will be working with our partners, businesses and the community to identify local food that is healthy and sustainable. We want to make it easier for the public to find out if there are vegetarian or vegan options.
David Fair: Is there a specific or a broad impact assessment of the environmental and ecological impacts of this type of switch?
Missy Stults:It’s quite significant. The United Nations report states that animal agriculture accounts for 14 point five percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Ann Arbor’s analysis shows that approximately seven metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions or carbon dioxide equivalent per household are linked to the food we eat. This is not just about what we buy. It also includes what we don’t use and throw away. Food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. We can make sure that the food we buy is right-sized and that the food’s footprint is reduced ecologically, socially, and physically. This will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve our mental, physical, and emotional health. Those are some great benefits.
David Fair: We’re back with 89 one WEMU Issues of the Environment. This time, we’re speaking with Missy Sults. She is the City of Ann Arbor’s sustainability & innovations manager. Missy, you have listed as one of your priorities for City Council to join the Washtenaw County Food Policy Council. Also, forge a sustainability work group. You mentioned the potential benefits of this type of culture shift. What do you imagine a working group looking and how can it benefit your community?
Missy Stults: Great question. Great question. The Washtenaw County Food Policy Council has been an important group in the community. There is a great opportunity to work side-by-side with farmers and large buyers and those who are working for a more sustainable system of food. We can figure out how to promote these practices throughout the county, how to support more local farmers in growing nutritious and organic food, and how to make sure we have the buyers to purchase that product. It’s a signal to all of the market that this is important. It’s not just about the city, as I know I said before, that isn’t a big purchaser. What happens when the county joins us? When might our public schools start buying from more local sources? We now have an ecosystem that supports the values of our local economy and provides nutritious and healthy food. This sounds like a win-win situation to me. That’s what we’re trying to achieve together.
David Fair: As we work towards that larger vision, you have stated that you would like to see your city eliminate all purchases of beef or dairy-based foods by 2030 as part a sustainability framework. Is there enough community education or exposure to gain support for what amounts a significant cultural change?
Missy Stults: Yes, that’s a great query. This is how we want to frame it. If we are serious about reducing greenhouse gases and making food purchasing decisions that are health-conscious, this is one of the long-term recommendations in the report. This category of recommendations is where we know we need more work. We need to be more engaged with the public. We must be more familiar with the available options. Full disclosure: I am a vegetarian and can tell you that there are many options for chicken. Beef is getting better. Although dairy products are available, there are still some areas that aren’t very strong. There is a lot of work to be done in order to engage with the public and suppliers and to offer alternatives that taste great, that people want to take part in. Although we still have much work to do on this recommendation…what are you going to say? David, let me add a second.
David Fair: Sure.
Missy Stults:This recommendation acknowledges that there are many and growing alternatives to beef and milk on the market. It also acknowledges that beef and dairy, particularly in large commercial farming practices have a significant impact on the environment and animals. That’s something we need to accept if we want to be sustainable and to ensure equity and health in the landscape. The recommendation is to put a spotlight on the industry and to see what opportunities exist to make it more sustainable.
David Fair: It will be great to chat with you over the coming years and discover what kind of progress has been made. Missy, I want to thank you for your time today.
Missy Stults:It was a pleasure. Thanks, everyone.
David Fair: Missy Stults is the sustainability and innovation manager for City of Ann Arbor and our guest on environmental issues. Visit our WEMU dot.org website for more information about today’s topic. This weekly feature is in partnership with the Office of the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commission. You can hear it every Wednesday. This is David Fair, and it’s 89 one WEMU FM.
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