Sustainable Food Procurement

The book examines sustainable food procurement policy and practice in the European Union and beyond, exploring the extent to which sustainability objectives have been achieved and evaluating the new developments taking place at both EU and national levels.

While there is a growing recognition that public authorities can use public procurement as a policy tool to pursue multiple environmental, health and socio-economic objectives, contracting authorities still face many challenges. This volume investigates the scope for pursuing sustainable objectives in public procurement of food and catering services, examining different regulatory contexts and organisational models to answer the overall question of how to integrate sustainability concerns into the various phases of public food procurement processes. Contributions in the book examine the policy and legal procurement framework and practices for sustainable public catering in three EU Member States: Italy, France and Spain. There is a comparative survey of the Baltic Region, including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Poland and Russia, and moving beyond the EU, there is examination of the UK and Brazil, as well as a cross country comparison of the UK with Denmark and Sweden. Drawing on the expertise of an interdisciplinary and intersectoral team of contributors allows the book to benefit from the insights of different disciplines, including business sciences, anthropology and law. Tapping into the global discussion on public food procurement as a means to achieve multiple social and environmental goals, this work will stimulate readers looking for new creative ways to create value through public food purchasing.

This book will be of great interest to students, researchers, policymakers and public- and private-sector representatives interested in public procurement, food policy and law, sustainable food sourcing and supply chain management.

Mark Stein is a research associate at the University of Salford, UK, where he completed his PhD on sustainable food procurement. He has decades of experience working in municipal economic development, where he supported small business development, secured external funding, promoted e-commerce and developed sustainable procurement policies.

Maurizio Mariani is the director of the international platform Eating City. He plays an active role in international research projects that aim to promote sustainable public food services. He has co-authored several books, such as La Ville Qui Mange (2013) and City Food Policies: Securing our daily bread in an Urbanizing World (2015).

Roberto Caranta is a professor of administrative law at the University of Turin, Italy, and coordinator of Sustainability and Procurement in International, European, and National Systems (SAPIENS) International Training Network. He is the author and editor of numerous books, including European Public Procurement: Commentary to Directive 2014/24/EU (2021).

Yiannis Polychronakis is the Head of Supply Chains, Procurement and Project Management in Salford University, UK. Yiannis is also an engineer with extensive industrial experience and has published his empirical work in numerous prestigious international journals and conference proceedings.