A manifesto for public canteens in Europe

In a world where food systems face many challenges, there is a need for rapid transformation to more sustainable ones, but there are often complexities within the systems themselves. Where to start to make this transition happen? According to this Farm to Fork Procurement Manifesto, public procurement could be the answer.  

Public procurement areas include public canteens, such as in schools, hospitals, day care centers, and are managed by public authorities that provide food and catering services. Thus, procurement practices involve many actors, such as food producers and retailers, up to the consumption level. In other words, food procurement itself represents a food system environment. What happens if public canteens had to adhere to minimum standards that reflect the planetary boundaries?  Would it support to reach the Sustainable Development Goals? The ‘Manifesto for establishing minimum standards for public canteen across the EU’ by ICLEI (a FOODPathS partner) raises these questions and explores how this would contribute to achieving a systemic food transformation. It argues that better public food procurement can help address multiple sustainability goals at once and would serve the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy and Green Deal ambitions. 

What are the main messages of this Manifesto? 

The Manifesto aims to inspire the EU Commission, Member States and local and regional authorities with seven actionable recommendations to establish minimum standards for public canteens in Europe.  

You can find below listed the seven areas which a minimum standard for each is recommended in order to make public procurement more sustainable. 

1.Healthy food:  

100% of all public meals should base on dietary guidelines and contribute to sustainable, healthy nutrition for all population and of all social contexts.  

2.Organic and agro-ecological products: 

At least the 20% of the produced food should be certified as organic and additional agro-ecological practices should bring extra benefits during contracting procedures.  

3.Small scale farmers support: 

At least 10% of food should originate from small scale farmers. 

4.Climate action: 

The greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by 25% through increased plant-based food, food waste reduction and low carbon food chains. 

5.Decent working conditions: 

Fully complying with decent working conditions of relevant national, EU and international standards and encouraging the employment of vulnerable groups in food chain.  

6.Fair trade: 

At least 25% of the products typically originating from countries outside Europe, such as bananas, coffee and tea, should be fairly traded.  

7.Animal welfare: 

Higher animal welfare standards in combination with higher plant-based food content. 

If you want to read the full manifest click below.