Europe’s €50 billion public food procurement market could become a significant driver of healthier, more sustainable food production if proposed changes to EU procurement rules give greater weight to organic and plant-based food, according to IFOAM Organics Europe and ProVeg International.

The two organisations have joined forces ahead of the European Commission’s publication of its proposed Public Procurement Act today, calling for food to be treated as a strategic procurement category and for public buyers to be given clearer targets for organic and plant-based foods.

Public canteens in schools, hospitals, universities and care homes serve millions of meals each day, making them one of Europe’s largest collective food-buying operations. IFOAM Organics Europe and ProVeg argue that this purchasing power could provide farmers and food producers with the long-term demand needed to expand sustainable production.

The organisations say organic and plant-based procurement are a natural complement each other. Organic sets a high standard on the production side, protecting soil, water, and biodiversity and rewarding the farmers who deliver it across different farming systems. Plant-rich menus work on the demand side,  creating stronger markets for pulses, vegetables, whole grains, and other plant-based foods, including those produced organically. Public catering, the two advocacy groups argue, provides a point where the two approaches can work together economically.

Cost is often cited as a barrier to sustainable procurement, but evidence from European catering operations suggests that greater use of plant-based meals can offset the premium associated with organic food. A study covering around 6,000 canteens found vegetarian meals were approximately 25% cheaper than meat-based options.

Copenhagen is cited as a leading example. The Danish capital’s public kitchens now serve almost 90% organic food, while remaining within existing budgets. The approach combines higher levels of plant-based food with staff training and efforts to reduce waste. Denmark has subsequently incorporated similar principles into its national Plant-Based Action Plan, with at least half of the associated funding earmarked for organic plant-based projects.

“Let (the Public Procurement Act) value health, quality, and the farmers who deliver both, so that Europe’s public kitchens have an active role in building a resilient agrifood system”

The health implications are also significant, the two organisations say.  They point to data showing that four in five EU citizens do not consume recommended amounts of pulses, fruit and vegetables, and whole grains. Public catering could help address this shortfall, particularly among children, hospital patients and older people.

The Commission’s draft procurement proposals already represent a potential shift, with the best price-quality ratio proposed as the default award method. Quality would account for 30% of available points for goods and 50% for labour-intensive services such as catering.

However, IFOAM Organics Europe and ProVeg say the proposals leave key questions unanswered. “Quality” is not clearly defined, derogations from the default method remain broad, and food is not given strategic status. They also point to the continued dominance of lowest-price tendering despite existing voluntary green procurement guidance.

The organisations are calling for mandatory minimum targets for sustainable food procurement, including binding organic requirements and measurable targets for increasing plant-based options. They also want savings generated through plant-rich menus to be reinvested in organic, seasonal and locally produced food, alongside funding for kitchen staff and procurement officers to develop the necessary skills.

For European farmers, the organisations argue, the stakes are substantial. Long-term public demand could provide more predictable markets, volumes and returns for producers investing in sustainable farming.

IFOAM Organics Europe and ProVeg say: “Public money should buy public goods. Europe already spends this money and already serves these meals; what the Public Procurement Act decides is what that spending is allowed to value. Let it value health, quality, and the farmers who deliver both, so that Europe’s public kitchens have an active role in building a resilient agrifood system.”

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash