Achieving Sustainability Standards
Click Here to download this Case Study.
The Challenge:
One big concern for this Member is the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in food production given the continued growth in the number of microorganisms resistant to antibiotics. In an effort to combat this issue, this Member and a number of other healthcare organizations have aligned to a set of criteria under the Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI) established by Practice Green Health. This set of criteria provides a framework for healthcare organizations that want to provide sustainable foods to the patients and communities they serve. A key component of this framework is purchasing more local, sustainably-grown food that meets third-party certifications and USDA label claims. As the procurement partner for this healthcare Member, Foodbuy is tasked with meeting certain commitments around reducing antibiotic usage and offering products that meet their specific needs.
The Solution:
Foodbuy actively monitors and interacts with suppliers that have sustainability commitments. This interaction includes a biannual review where Foodbuy gathers information to be included on a sustainability scorecard. Through this review process, Foodbuy was able to identify a supplier that had met the CRAU (Certified Responsible Antibiotic Use) threshold. To meet CRAU criteria, poultry producers must minimize their use of antibiotics that are important in human medicine. This helps reduce overall antibiotic use and address concerns of drug-resistant superbugs*.
The Results:
Foodbuy fulfilled this Member’s needs around sustainability, and protected spend with a top poultry supplier that satisfied HHI criteria. In addition, this work can be referenced as Foodbuy continues to look for opportunities to move customers away from non-contracted suppliers to a core contracted supplier that meets their needs around antibiotic use.