From schools to the supply chain: how school catering leads the green turn in Europe

27 March 2025

School catering is a candidate to become one of the drivers of the ecological transition of food systems in Europe. This will be discussed on 15th May at the Compraverde Buygreen Forum in Rome, during the international meeting ‘School catering promoting the ecological and just transition of local food systems in Europe’.

The event, realised in collaboration with the European project SchoolFood4Change, will bring together institutions, schools and operators from different countries to discuss the most effective strategies to reduce the environmental impact of the local food supply chain, promote short supply chains, ensure social equity and disseminate good practices and innovative policies.

School canteens are today a strategic space not only for educating the new generations in a healthy and sustainable food culture, but also for orienting local production and fostering a more resilient economic model. Through the adoption of environmental criteria in public procurement, the valorisation of organic and zero-km products, and the inclusion of social parameters in tenders, schools can become true laboratories of green transition.

The meeting will also be an opportunity to take stock of the experiences already underway in Europe and to outline models that can be replicated in other contexts, with the aim of making collective catering a concrete tool for changing the food system.

Within a Europe committed to ecological transition, school catering is no longer just a service, but a strategic lever to build more resilient cities, fairer food supply chains and more aware new generations. From menu choices to purchasing policies, every decision counts: change starts at the table, in schools.

School catering promoting the ecological and just transition of local food systems in Europe
15th May 2025 | 15:00 – 16:30 | Brundtland Hall – Compraverde Buygreen Forum, Rome

Sign up HERE!
Discover the 2025 Compraverde Buygreen Forum programme HERE!

 

 

Social media

News

Green Deal: The Only Path to Revive Industry and Jobs. Forum Compraverde 2025 Kicks Off

Green Deal: The Only Path to Revive Industry and Jobs. Forum Compraverde 2025 Kicks Off

Climate change is no longer a future threat—it’s a daily reality for Italy and the entire Mediterranean region. With extreme weather events on the rise and growing pressure on our production systems, the European Green Deal is not only a necessary response but also a unique opportunity for economic and job recovery. On the eve of the Forum Compraverde Buygreen 2025, Fondazione Ecosistemi puts forward a strong and tangible proposal: turning public procurement into a driver of the green and industrial transition through the Buy European and Sustainable Act (BESA).

Sustainable food at school: the global approach that changes food systems

Sustainable food at school: the global approach that changes food systems

Transforming the food system starting from schools. This is the challenge at the centre of the meeting ‘The Global Approach to School Food’, scheduled for 15th May 2025 at the Compraverde Buygreen Forum in Rome. An appointment that focuses on one of the most promising levers for promoting healthy and sustainable lifestyles: food education integrated into the daily practices of schools. The methodology presented, the Whole School Food Approach (WSFA), was born within the European project SchoolFood4Change and is proposed as a concrete tool to rethink school food. It is not just a question of improving the meals served in the canteen, but of involving the entire school ecosystem: from participatory governance, to teaching, to the relationship with the local area and families.

Ignoring health in public procurement: can we still afford it?

Ignoring health in public procurement: can we still afford it?

The Forum Compraverde Buygreen on 15th May opens the debate on a decisive but still too neglected issue: the role of health in public procurement criteria. To date, although the concept of sustainability is at the heart of public policy, the impact on health – both human and environmental – often remains a marginal aspect in procurement selection processes. The One Health approach, adopted by the World Health Organisation, emphasises how human, animal and environmental health are closely interlinked. Yet in public procurement – from school catering contracts to urban green management and infrastructure design – the direct and indirect impact on people’s health is rarely integrated into the award criteria. A vacuum which, in a time of ecological and social transition, is no longer sustainable.