Public Procurement (KB-39-007-009)

Food-service public procurement – the purchase and offer of foods by governments and public organizations – is increasingly seen as a promising tool to raise the demand for (more) sustainable produce. To date, however, public organizations predominantly focus on the cost price in procurement decisions. This project aims to explore how food-service public procurement can unlock new pathways for the protein transition.

The project will entail two steps in which researchers will actively collaborate with procurement officials in the Netherlands. First, we will diagnose existing barriers to providing more plant-based proteins in government canteens, schools, hospitals and other public organizations. For this study, we will use a combination of nutrition, legal and behavioural approaches to: i) determine which foods could best be replaced or added, ii) the acceptability of different protein alternatives to procurement officials, and iii) the contractual changes that would be required. Second, we will organise a Protein Procurement Summit to co-create a manifesto and model contract clauses that procurement professionals can use to foster change within their organisations. Moreover, the Summit will launch a learning network, aiming to sustain innovation after the project has ended.