Our Mission

Big Food corporations are hiding an ugly truth: their business model drives farmers and fishers off the land and water, perpetuates racial injustice, drives down wages, and drives up chronic disease and carbon emissions. They are a threat to our future, with communities of color hit first and worst.
We’re calling on the biggest players in the multi-billion dollar cafeteria industry to be part of the solution, not the problem.
It’s time for Aramark, Sodexo, and Compass Group to drop exclusive deals with Big Food manufacturers; to open their doors to farmers of color, fair and humane food sources, and community-based agriculture and seafood; and to play their part in reducing greenhouse gases.
United, we can build a food system grounded in racial justice, fairness, and dignity for us and future generations.
Our Goals

We’re calling on Aramark, Compass Group, and Sodexo to fundamentally reorient their business models away from a system of exclusive relationships with big food companies and toward real meals that support producers, communities, consumers and the planet.
As a first step, we are asking each company to commit to the following in the higher education sector:
ACHIEVE 25% REAL FOOD FOR EVERY CAMPUS
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Purchase 25% of food from sources that are local & community based, fair, ecologically sound, and/or humane, as defined by the Real Food Standards, in every higher education account.
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Shift toward seafood from local & community based fishers
INVEST IN RACIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY
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Expand purchasing from disenfranchised farmers, fishers and ranchers -- particularly Black producers. Designate a company liaison to develop these relationships
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Invest at least $1 million in infrastructure to improve market access for disenfranchised producers
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Prioritize stakeholder input (e.g. campus religious and cultural groups) in menu planning to meet the needs of marginalized groups
REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS AND INDUSTRIAL ANIMAL PRODUCTS
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Reduce purchases of factory-farmed meat, poultry and cheese by 25%. Invest in Real Food alternatives.
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Reduce carbon emissions across the companies’ supply chains by 25%.
INCREASE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
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Commit to clear and swift timelines for implementing each of these targets
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Track and report on progress. The Community Coalition for Real Meals will publish report cards on the progress of each company.
Our Coalition
We are the Community Coalition for Real Meals - an intergenerational, multiracial group of farmers, fishers, ranchers, activists, students, and workers calling for a transformation of the way that cafeteria food is sourced.
The Domestic Fair Trade Association is the primary thought leader on domestic fair trade and a crucial advocate for workers’ rights, fair prices for farmers, and environmental sustainability in the American and Canadian agricultural system. The mission of the DFTA is to promote, educate, and advocate for an agricultural production system that meets the sixteen domestic fair trade principles identified by diverse stakeholders throughout the agricultural supply chain. The DFTA facilitates connections between agricultural sectors in order to build resilient communities and improve food production so that the agricultural system is healthy, just, and sustainable

The Public Justice Food Project is the only legal project in the country that is focused solely on dismantling the structures that enable the consolidation of corporate power and extractive practices in our food system and supporting a vision of animal agriculture that is regenerative, humane, and owned by independent farmers.
Fair World Project (FWP) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect the use of the term “fair trade” in the marketplace, expand markets for authentic fair trade, and educate consumers about key issues in trade and agriculture. We advocate for policies leading to a just economy and facilitate collaborative relationships to create true system change.
Friends of the Earth fights to create a healthier and just world. Over 1.5 million members strong, we are working to promote clean energy and solutions to climate change, ensure the food we eat and products we use are safe and sustainable, and protect marine ecosystems and the people who live and work near them.
The HEAL (Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor) Food Alliance is a multi-racial, multigenerational coalition made up of 50 organizations representing rural and urban farmers, ranchers, fisherfolk, food chain workers, scientists, public health advocates, policy experts, community organizers and activists. We are working together to create food and farm systems that are healthy for our families, accessible and affordable for all communities, and fair to the hard-working people who grow, distribute, prepare, and serve our food — while protecting the air, water, and land we all depend on.
The Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance is a fishermen-led organization building a broad movement toward healthy fisheries and fishing communities. NAMA works across North America to build deep and trusting relationships with community-based fishermen, crew, fishworkers, and allies to create effective policy and market strategies. Learn more at www.namanet.org.

The Real Food Challenge harnesses the power of youth and universities to build a just and sustainable food system. Our 8,000 student leaders and allies campaign for and monitor institutional commitments to food procurement that is local and community based, fair, ecologically sound and/or humane.
Our Endorsers
Show your support and add your name to the list of our endorsers.
African Alliance of Rhode Island
Alabama Contract Poultry Growers Association
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
Anna Marie Seafood
Appetite For Change
Association of Irritated Residents
Better Future Project
Blacks Run Forest Farm
Brighter Green
CommonWealth Kitchen
Community Alliance for Global Justice
Community Farm Alliance
Cooperative Development Institute
Cooperative Food Empowerment Directive (CoFED)
DC Greens
Dakota Rural Action
Eating with the Ecosystem
Equal Exchange
Factory Farming Awareness Coalition
Fair Farms
Farm Aid
Farmworker Association of Florida
Food & Water Watch
Food Chain Workers Alliance
Food Solutions New England
Food Tank
Forever Wild Seafood
Green America
Green Monday US
Grow Kentucky
Land Stewardship Project
Local Bounty - Real Good Fish
Mercy For Animals
Mermaid's Garden
Mighty Earth
Migrant Justice / Justicia Migrante
National Family Farm Coalition
National Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Association
Northeast Organic Farming Association - Interstate Council
Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York
Northeast Organic Farming Association/Massachusetts Chapter
Ocean2table
One Fish Foundation
Open Markets Institute
Organic Consumers Association
People's Market
Pesticide Action Network
Port Orford Sustainable Seafood
Power Shift Network
Real Food Media
Regeneration Massachusetts
Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA
Sea Forager Seafood
Sierra Student Coalition
Sitka Salmon Shares
Slow Fish International
Slow Food East Bay
Soul Fire Farm
Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts
The Humane League
Thunder’s Catch Seafood
UnKoch My Campus
Union of Concerned Scientists
United People Market and Farm