Institutional food procurement for promoting sustainable diets (Book chapter in Burlingame B. and Dernini S. Sustainable diets: Linking Nutrition and Food Systems. CABI, 2019.)
This chapter argues that Institutional Food Procurement Programmes (IFPP) holds considerable potential to influence both food consumption and food production patterns and to deliver multiple social, economic, environmental, nutritional and health benefits to the food system that will contribute to more sustainable diets. It provides an overview of the literature on the potential benefits of IFPP linked to the promotion of sustainable diets taking into consideration the three key pillars of sustainability as well as examples of good practices from the Brazilian food procurement programme (PAA), Cape Verde national school feeding programme and the municipality of Rome (Italy).
Among its concluding remarks, this chapter highlights that, although the literature do indicated positive and important trends on IFPP potentialities to achieve social, economic, environmental and health and nutrition outcomes, further research and impact evaluation are still necessary. They are key to continue to build the evidence base and best practices linking institutional purchasing to its multiples outcomes and the promotion of sustainable diets, and to drive its effective implementation.
