Bill > LD1141

Introduced Session

This bill clarifies existing state policy governing food procurement by state institutions to require rather than encourage the procurement of Maine foods and food products by state institutions. The bill requires the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to implement and promote a Maine foods and food products procurement program that consolidates food commodity purchases by centralizing the control and purchase of food to stabilize state institution food budgets. The program must allow state institutions to take advantage of opportunity buying, coordinate dietary requirements and establish healthy menus consistently throughout state institutions. The bill creates a definition for "opportunity buying," which is defined as the purchasing of food and food products from vendors at a significant discount that is only available for a short period of time before the food or food products become unavailable for purchase. The bill also requires that the program measurably improve the quality and reduce the cost of food and food products for state institutions. Current law requires the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to establish a Maine foods and food products procurement program with the goal that 20% of food procured by state institutions is Maine food and food products. The bill adjusts the program goal with a requirement that, by 2030, that percentage must be 30%. The bill also requires the commissioner to designate an employee of the department as an institutional food procurement coordinator to coordinate food procurement for all state institutions and to implement and oversee a strategy to strengthen connections between Maine food producers, distributors and other institutional stakeholders outside of State Government to achieve the procurement goal established. The bill gives permission for the State to engage in off-contract purchasing, outlines requirements for the convening of an annual meeting and an advisory committee to assist the coordinator in advancing strategies for increasing purchases of Maine foods and food products by state institutions and requires the inclusion of the progress toward the procurement goal in the commissioner's biennial report.

Committee Categories

Craig Hickman (D)*,  Joe Baldacci (D),  Russell Black (R),  Stacey Guerin (R),  Henry Ingwersen (D),  Bill Pluecker (I),  Tracy Quint (R),  Sue Salisbury (D),  Rachel Talbot Ross (D),  Jeff Timberlake (R), 

HELD BY THE GOVERNOR. (on 07/08/2025)

Official Document