The Buy Better Food Campaign
for sustainable food on the public plate
We are a Europe-wide coalition of more than 100 members, calling for public procurement rules that work for the environment, consumers, and workers, and that provide healthy food to all European citizens in public places such as schools, hospitals and elderly care homes.
Our Vision is that, by 2030, Europe's food system is healthy for both people and the planet, based on sustainable and fair food production on healthy land, providing healthy food for all.
Sustainable Food Procurement can play a pivotal role in driving food system transformation in Europe and beyond.
Timeline
Sustainable food procurement: letters, events and roundtables
Early in the month, the Buy Better FoodCampaign sent a letter to President von der Leyen's cabinet advocating for the establishment of minimum standards for public cantees. Eating City held its Summer Campus on food procurement culminating in the 10th Eating City Declaration and organised National Policy Dialogues to discuss challenges and solutions around public food procurement. Additionally, within Terra Madre, Slow Food organised an experts roundtable to discuss the JRC last report on sustainable food procurement.
IFOAM Youth Event, Bari (8-9 July)
We were present at the IFOAM Organic Europe Youth Event in Bari, hosted by CIHEAM Bari, with a session on Access to land, to raise awareness on the challenges for young farmers, and another session on the Role of youth in sustainable public food procurement, to explore how SPP can become a lever for change. Additionally, the Italian Local Food Policies Network endorsed our Manifesto and Nutrition Insight reported on it and the importance of minimum mandatory criteria.
Buy Better Food in the media
Public procurement has the opportunity to incentivise more organic, sustainable and local production, leading to healthier diets and a fairer distribution of food in society. It is therefore high time that the EU sets targets to promote organic, sustainable and regional food in public canteens, in hospitals and in schools!
Sarah Wiener, Former MEP (Greens), chef and organic farmer
Procurement officers are one of the keys to making tenders more sustainable. We have a unique opportunity to create the much needed changes to the food system. As a procurement lawyer and public purchaser you can bring the political goal to life through small changes in the tender document, which may be decisive in making the food chain more sustainable (also in distant countries).
Betina Bergmann Madsen, Chief procurement officer in the municipality of Copenhagen
Public food has the enormous potential to create a virtuous interplay between economic development and social inclusion, bringing to the front the unique role of local authorities in shaping up new (and much needed) constituencies around the objectives of sustainable development.
Roberta Sonnino, Professor of Sustainable Food Systems at Centre for Environment and Sustainability, University of Surrey
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