Real Food Challenge

Real Food Challenge (RFC) is a national, student-driven campaign to reshape our food economy. We are a worker self-directed nonprofit working with a network of students and youth at schools across the country, advocating for "real food" on our campuses and in our communities. We successfully shifted over $80 million in our 20% by 2020 commitment campaign. Just as when we started in 2007, we believe universities and the students that populate them can be inspiring drivers of positive change in food systems. Recognizing the complexity of food systems activism, we stand in solidarity with food sovereignty organizations across all levels of the movement, emphasizing regional supply chain justice as our primary focus. We envision universities as anchors for re-regionalizing value chains, sourcing food from diverse, organic, and BIPOC producers reflective of their respective regions. At the core of our approach lies the conversion of student mobilization into tangible outcomes, guided by the Real Food Standards and measured through the Real Food Calculator. This data-driven advocacy tool holds universities accountable and empowers students to influence policy changes toward a more equitable and sustainable food system. Our Real Food Standards have been updated and version 3.0 are aligned with our Anchors In Action partners: the Center for Good Food Purchasing, and Healcare Without Harm. We seek to collectively raise the bar for institutions, distributors, and food servicers. We are reinvigorating our work and welcome students from any campus, partners from all realms of food system and food justice work, and any alum to join us! Real Food Now!