Catapulting Sustainable and Healthy Public Food Procurement in the UK

Public food procurement aligns directly with the following priority outcomes in the Towards a Good Food Cycle framework: 

• An improved food environment that supports healthier and more environmentally sustainable food sales. 

• Access for all to safe, affordable, healthy, convenient and appealing food options. 

• Conditions for the food sector to thrive and grow sustainably, including investment in innovation and productivity, and fairer more transparent supply chains. 

However, the Government strategy thus far does not specifically mention public food procurement by Government or strengthening the mandatory or best practice Government Buying Standards for food and catering services as a mechanism for achieving its goals. Aiming to close this gap, this policy and practice note builds on recent work including the Will Quince MP Public Food Procurement Review (May 2024)3, food procurement meetings across the Transforming UK Food Systems Programme, and a Public Food Procurement Roundtable hosted by FixOurFood (University of York) on 23 July 2025. 

In synthesising insights from these recent discussions, as well as reports and evidence arising from TUKFS research, this document aims to outline a strategic approach to deliver on some of the clear goals and outcomes of the Good Food Cycle for catapulting best practices in public sector food procurement.