Public procurement of food for health

Published on March 9, 2022

The purpose of this document is to support Member States in translating their national school food standards related to health and nutrition into food procurement specifications. This is done by collecting the major obstacles experienced in real-life implementation and by sharing relevant examples from across Europe.

It is intended as a practical tool for a) those who purchase food and food-related services in or for schools at national, regional or local level; and b) health and nutrition awareness and capacity building. It includes a range of options and considerations that each Member State may wish to use and adapt in respect of its specific context. All Member States have reported difficulties and common challenges in increasing the implementation based on their existing national school food policies and in having them effectively and routinely activated at operational level. In respect of subsidiarity, supporting the Member States in that task is the main objective of the document, in the knowledge that initiatives in this area support the promotion of healthy diets, of food reformulation, of pupils’ and students’ learning, and of the protection of children in general.