Public procurement of sustainable and healthy food represents a strategic vehicle to achieve sustainability policies and targets, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, at national, regional, and local level. Whether it is public health, organic agriculture, animal welfare, social considerations or proximity food economy, the strategic use of food procurement can contribute enormously to the implementation of the EU Farm to Fork Strategy. In addition, public food procurement strategies should be designed to help achieve the ‘right to food’ enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and include all actors in the food chain from “farm to fork”. EPHA joins civil society organisations and suggests the following policy recommendations:
- The criteria must go beyond Green Public Procurement (GPP)
- The criteria should be ambitious, and progressive over time
- The inclusion of national and international roundtables of procurement experts
- Goals and direction set by national dietary and nutrition guidelines
- Financial, technical, and support from the EU and its Member States
- Ensure compliance with the latest labour and employment laws and agreements
- Clarification on the rules related to local food procurement
For further information, please read the briefing paper written in the framework of the EU Food Policy Coalition (EU FPC) Public Procurement Task Force: Sustainable public procurement of food: a goal within reach.