Do other EU countries have provisions similar to the requirements of France's Egalim law on mass catering? Is it feasible to set mandatory criteria for all public catering contracts in Europe? Which Member States have the most mature purchasing practices? What are the priorities for action at European level?
For more than ten months, Ytera conducted an in-depth study of existing sustainability criteria in public catering contracts in the Member States of the European Union under the “Farm-to-Fork” strategy.
Based on a rigorous literature review, market research, analysis of key data published in the EU Official Journal of electronic tenders (TED) and stakeholder interviews, Ytera collected, analysed and synthesised a wide range of criteria covering the environmental, social (including health, nutrition and animal welfare) and economic dimensions of sustainability.
The aim of this process is to provide the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) with detailed information on existing criteria, to feed into its work. The aim is to develop appropriate and effective criteria to guide public purchasers in integrating sustainability into their food, catering and vending supplies.
Several priorities for action were highlighted, including reducing meat consumption, combating food waste and increasing the proportion of organic produce served. In addition, Ytera recommends that the Commission set mandatory criteria as a more effective method of rapidly changing practices than incentives.
Many thanks to the Joint Research Center for its confidence, and happy reading! (report available in English only).
Read the report: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC139977
