LOS ANGELES WORLD AIRPORTS TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR IMPLEMENTING LA CITY’S GOOD FOOD PURCHASING POLICY AT FOOD DAY EVENT
(Los Angeles, California – October 21, 2016) Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) will be recognized for using the city’s Good Food Purchasing Policy (GFPP) at the City’s Food Day 2016 event. The GFPP is a procurement policy that supports environmental sustainability, fair labor, animal welfare, nutrition, and investments in the local economy. The event will be held at City Hall’s Council Chambers and South Lawn on Tuesday, October 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
“World-class airports are built on foundations of sustainability and social responsibility, and it all starts with practicing procurement with a conscience,” said LAWA Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint. “The Good Food Purchasing Policy is a reflection of the way we strive to do business at LAX: by keeping our guests’ and employees’ well-being at the top of mind.”
The GFPP is a hallmark of the City’s commitment to responsible and sustainable food procurement practices, which are exemplified at LAX. In partnership with concessionaries, HMS Host and the Hudson Group, LAWA leads the LAX Harvest Food Donation Program, which has donated over 150,000 pounds (~75 tons) of food to local non-profit organizations for distribution to those in need. LAX was also ranked #1 among US airports for providing healthy food options by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in 2015. Delaware North, a concessionaire partner at LAX, offers free-range chicken and beef, organic produce, and locally-produced food ingredients through their managed eateries. In addition, the majority of Delaware North employees are unionized workers.
The GFPP, originated from an Executive Directive issued by former mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2012, applies to any non-proprietary city department that makes food purchases of over $10,000 annually, and can be voluntarily adopted by proprietary city departments, such as LAWA. In implementing the GFPP, LAWA staff works closely with each of its concessionaire and airline lounge tenants to track their efforts to offer foods that are nutritious, healthy, locally produced, sustainably grown, and that come from farms where workers and animals alike are treated with respect. Tracking reports are submitted to the non-profit Good Food Center for evaluation.
About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
LAX is the seventh busiest airport in the world and third in the United States. LAX served more than 74.9 million passengers in 2015. LAX offers 742 daily nonstop flights to 101 cities in the U.S. and 1,273 weekly nonstop flights to 76 cities in 41 countries on 64 commercial air carriers. LAX ranks 12th in the world and fifth in the U.S. in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.1 million tons of air cargo valued at over $101.4 billion. LAX handled 655,564 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2015.
An economic study based on 2014 operations reported LAX generated 620,610 jobs in Southern California with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital-improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion, $966 million in state and local taxes, and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.
LAX is part of a system of three Southern California airports – along with LA/Ontario International and Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.
As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.
