Public procurement can contribute to making food systems more fair and sustainable, and help realize the human right to adequate food, a U.N. independent expert said Thursday. "When sourcing food for schools, hospitals and public administrations, Governments have a rare opportunity to support more nutritious diets and more sustainable food systems in one fell swoop," Olivier De Schutter said in his final publication to the U.N. Human Rights Council as the special rapporteur on the right to food. "Governments have few sources of leverage over increasingly globalized food systems - but public procurement is one of them," De Schutter concluded. In his report, De Schutter identified five principles for how governments should use their public procurement. Schutter recommends buying locally, and ideally, from small-scale food producers, guaranteeing living wages and fair prices. In addition, he highlights setting specific requirements for adequate food diets, and increasing participation and accountability in the food system.
