With a focus on ‘place-based procurement’, the Procurement for Good project examines how to improve opportunities for food buyers in schools, hospitals, and other public sector settings to include sustainable, locally sourced food in their menus.
Central to the project is the opportunity for public buyers to use local ‘food hubs’ as suppliers of seasonal, fresh produce. At the heart of the project are four food hubs spread out across the UK: Cambridge Food Hub, Growing Communities Better Food Shed, Cultivate Food Hub and Galloway Food Hub.
These food hubs act as aggregators for small scale, local producers, creating a shorter supply chain that is often more resilient, sustainable and ecological.
The aim of the food hubs is to act as an interface with public buyers and smaller scale producers to provide nutritious, affordable food onto the public plate. These efforts can also address major policy objectives in community wealth building, net zero and public health.
Currently around 80% of the UK’s fruit and nearly 50% of the vegetables are imported. Through research, advocacy and network building, the Procurement for Good team hopes the research can help to shift the balance towards more local and regional produce being served in meals across the public sector.
Professor Moya Kneafsey, director of CAWR, and project leader, said: “This project is exploring how innovation in place-based food procurement can deliver more sustainable, healthy foods for citizens eating from the public plate.
“We hope that the significant buying power of the public sector can be leveraged to make genuine change in the food system, and we’re thrilled to be collaborating with some amazing organisations on this project.”