The contribution of green public food procurement to sustainability: evidence from two case studies in Spain

Green Public Food Procurement (GPFP) has revealed itself to be an ally for achieving ecological transition objectives, however there is little work attempting to assess its contribution. This work proposes a set of sustainability and health indicators that comprise a tool able to evaluate the performance of GPFP. A Delphi analysis and a participatory process is used to determine Key Performance Indicators that have been tested through two case studies in Spain. The results obtained show that the presence of short marketing circuits and food sovereignty and institutions rooted in the territory contribute to improved economic sustainability and good performance in terms of health. However, for environmental issues the performance is somewhat lacking, as instruments such as renewable energies and the circular economy are not implemented on a local scale. Elements linked to territorial cohesion and social capital are key for the principles of social and labor justice, as well as governance, to prevail. The Mediterranean diet integral to the case studies presented results in adequate health indicators. These types of indicators would be a useful tool for introducing sustainable food certification as a driving force for changing the food model.

Automated summary

Green Public Food Procurement (GPFP) is a valuable tool for achieving ecological transition objectives, and this study proposes a set of sustainability and health indicators to evaluate its performance. The results of two case studies in Spain show that certain factors, such as short marketing circuits and food sovereignty, contribute to improved economic sustainability and health performance. However, the implementation of renewable energies and the circular economy on a local scale is lacking, affecting environmental performance. These indicators can be used to drive sustainable food certification and change the current food model.