Case study on sustainable food systems through public procurement

The background to the study is that the food system accounts for about 34% of the total greenhouse gas emissions globally, and about 30% of the emissions in Sweden. In order to reach the global goals in the Paris Agreement and the UN Agenda 2030, society needs to drastically reduce the negative effects that food has on our planet such as production, distribution and waste management. Public procurement has been proposed as an effective lever to catalyze change in food consumption and production.

Greenhouse gas emissions associated with the current meal service in Härnösand were 2.2 CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalents) per kg and must be reduced by 40.9% by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement. About 75% of emissions come from foods of animal origin (44% from red meat). Three alternative dietary scenarios were investigated; "No red meat", "-50% red meat", "meat-free flexitarian". <7% of the total volume of food purchased (expressed in kg) was substituted for food with lower emissions and is shown to be able to produce greenhouse gas emission reductions as high as 43%.

The Swedish law on public procurement, deficient infrastructure, the Swedish food culture and change-prone local politicians were mentioned as necessary factors to deal with in order for changes in the food procurement system to be realized. The respondents emphasized that the policy change in Sweden needs to be coordinated from a higher organization, but opportunities for individual municipalities to take measures were also exemplified.