{"id":56965,"date":"2022-03-17T08:00:23","date_gmt":"2022-03-17T07:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bioecoactual.com\/?p=56965"},"modified":"2022-03-17T09:36:50","modified_gmt":"2022-03-17T08:36:50","slug":"boost-healthier-sustainable-meals-in-schools-and-public-settings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bioecoactual.com\/en\/2022\/03\/17\/boost-healthier-sustainable-meals-in-schools-and-public-settings\/","title":{"rendered":"Calls grow for EU targets to boost healthier and more sustainable meals in schools and public settings"},"content":{"rendered":"

A coalition of NGOs has launched\u00a0the\u00a0Buy<\/span>\u00a0Better<\/span>\u00a0Food Campaign<\/strong>. Together with other civil society organisations, through this advocacy campaign on public food procurement (PFP), this coalition aims at raising awareness on sustainable food public procurement in Europe. It’s specifically linked to the mandatory criteria in the Sustainable food system framework initiative, which the Commission will publish by the end of 2023.<\/p>\n

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Buy<\/span>\u00a0Better<\/span> Food: For healthier and more sustainable public meals<\/h2>\n

Use public procurement to make healthy and sustainable food more easily accessible and affordable to all Europeans, a leading MEP together with local governments and campaigners told EU leaders today. Sarah Wiener<\/strong>, Member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee (AGRI)<\/strong>, joins support for a new coalition of municipalities, environmental, social and health non-profit organisations calling on EU and national leaders to introduce targets and measures helping schools, hospitals and public building canteens to provide healthier food menus.<\/p>\n

Use public procurement to make healthy and sustainable food more easily accessible and affordable to all Europeans<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Buy Better Food<\/strong><\/a> initiative comes as the European Commission prepares a new legislative framework -the Sustainable Food System initiative<\/strong>– which promises to set minimum criteria for the sustainable and healthy public procurement of food across the EU. Public money must be used to purchase healthy and sustainable food<\/strong>, which can help reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and health-related costs, while boasting local communities’ prosperity and wellbeing. Mandatory targets for better meals would also help public procurement become a driver of change in the way we produce and eat food<\/strong>. They would steer Europe towards a more resilient and equitable food system as Europeans face the interconnected threats of increasing food prices and poverty as well as climate and environmental breakdown, campaigners said.<\/p>\n

A \u00abgame-changer\u00bb<\/h3>\n

The coalition wants EU institutions and member states to recognise, champion and finance public food procurement as a \u201cgame-changer\u201d for healthier and more sustainable diets based on organic and nutritious fruits and vegetables<\/strong> as well as more plant-based proteins and less but better meat, as advocated in the EU\u2019s roadmap for better food known as the Farm to Fork Strategy.<\/p>\n

The coalition wants EU institutions and member states to recognise, champion and finance public food procurement as a \u00abgame-changer\u00bb<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Member of the European Parliament Sarah Wiener<\/strong>, who was shadow rapporteur of the European Parliament report on the Farm to Fork Strategy and is a well known Austrian chef and organic farmer, said: “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!”<\/p>\n

Action at local level<\/h4>\n

At the local level, an increasing number of municipalities are making important steps in this direction, anticipating the rules being considered by the European Commission. The city of Ghent<\/strong> (Belgium), for example, has put in place an award-winning food strategy combining targets for food waste reduction, climate action and support for small farmers<\/strong>. Tamara Bruning<\/strong>, head of catering services at the city of Ghent, said: \u200b\u200b\u201cThe city of Ghent has committed to building a more sustainable and healthy food system through better public procurement. Improving our canteen and catering services can help our city reach climate neutrality by 2050, while also upholding the principles of wellbeing, fairness and inclusion for our citizens and future generations. As a local government, we constantly strive to find new solutions to today\u2019s social, health and environmental problems, and are happy to share our knowledge and experience with other European cities\u201d.<\/p>\n

The FAO and the WHO have also called for a more responsible use of public food procurement<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Another example is the city of Mouans-Sartoux<\/strong> (France) which has a long history of procuring food which is healthy for both people and the planet. As Gilles Parole<\/strong>, deputy mayor of the city of Mouans-Sartoux, explained: \u201cMouans-Sartoux’s school canteens have been serving 100% organic and mostly local meals for 10 years now. Facing disruptions to food supply chains and burdensome tendering procedures, the city created the first municipal farm in France in 2011 which supplies around 90% of the vegetables consumed by children. Thanks to this experience, we know that public bids can provide local authorities with “purchase power” to make local food systems more sustainable. We now need the European institutions to do their part and include food-related rules in the EU\u2019s public procurement directive.<\/p>\n

Beyond Brussels<\/h4>\n

The United Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation<\/strong> and the World Health Organisation<\/strong> have also called for a more responsible use of public food procurement that works for people, workers and the environment. The recent crises Europeans are facing, from the Covid pandemic to the war in Ukraine, highlight the need to accelerate change towards a more resilient and sustainable food system that provides healthy food to all.<\/p>\n