The Enabling Farmer, Food worker, Environmental, and Climate Targets through Innovative, Values-aligned, and Equitable Food Procurement Act, or the EFFECTIVE Food Procurement Act, seeks to transform the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) food purchasing to foster a more just, healthy, and sustainable food system. Recognizing the USDA as a major food buyer, the bill outlines specific responsibilities and opportunities for the agency to leverage its purchasing power. Its core purpose is to strengthen the resilience of the domestic food system and expand choices for commodity procurement programs. The bill mandates that the Secretary of Agriculture make available and purchase a sufficient variety of foods that align with key values. These include foods supporting equity and inclusion , such as those from beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged farmers and those accommodating religious diets. It also prioritizes foods that promote diversified and resilient supply chains , including organic products and those from farms with independent animal welfare certifications. Furthermore, the USDA must procure foods that support worker well-being , sourced from vendors with collective bargaining agreements or worker justice certifications, and foods that mitigate climate change impacts through reduced greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation policies, and environmental co-benefits like improved soil health. To ensure accountability, the bill requires the Secretary to submit a baseline report within one year, detailing current spending on these categories and estimating associated greenhouse gas emissions. This report must also establish targets for increasing beneficial food purchases and reducing emissions by 2032. Annual reports will track progress against these targets, providing transparency on suppliers and environmental impact. The Secretary is also tasked with recommending enhancements for supply chain transparency and restructuring commodity programs to support regional and local food purchasing. The legislation includes provisions to directly support covered producers , defined as beginning, veteran, socially disadvantaged, or small/medium-sized farmers, fishermen, and ranchers, as well as covered entities like food hubs working with these producers. It mandates a set-aside of at least $2,000,000 annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2031 for competitive procurement contracts with these groups. This funding aims to increase their participation and strengthen their economic viability within the USDA's supply chain. Finally, the bill establishes a Best Value Procurement Pilot Program for five years, requiring the USDA to use a tradeoff process to select bids that deliver overall best value, targeting at least 20 percent of annual food spending. This program's evaluation criteria will be developed with input from diverse stakeholders, including covered producers, food system workers, and Indian Tribes. Additionally, the Secretary must provide technical assistance to covered producers and entities to help them navigate procurement programs and offer competitive grants, totaling $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, to assist with food safety upgrades, certifications, and other costs necessary to become USDA vendors.