Piloting how public institutions can support local Producers
Local food procurement by the public sector and anchor institutions supports local farmers and helps get more healthy food onto people’s plates in the region. Current work in this area is often led by local Sustainable Food Places partnerships. It ranges from setting up food hubs to pave the way for more coordinated supply, distribution and procurement mechanisms, through to engaging with local anchor institutions to better understand their current procurement arrangements and how these could be developed to better support local producers.
In order to take this work to the next level there is a need to gather and raise awareness of good practice case studies of local food procurement to help anchors understand what is possible and provide them with practical advice and guidance on how to transition. This could take the form of a toolkit which explores the barriers and opportunities for change. Other actions that were identified as being helpful included developing a clear Manifesto or other definition of important terms such as ‘local’ and ‘sustainable’ in order to counter greenwashing by large corporates. Mapping quick wins, for example by exploring what we already produce that could easily be put into the supply chain, and running a pilot with 3 or 4 key products were also felt to be important.
To address these challenges, our strategy outlines the following steps:
Our goal: Public and anchor institutions’ procurement of local agroecological products has increased manifold.
Desired outcomes:
- More supply chain collaborations exist.
- Public procurement in leading local authorities shifts to local produce.
- More agroecological farms exist.
Example activities that were identified as supporting these immediate outcomes – and which should therefore be urgent priorities for funding – are as follows:
- Facilitating value chain collaborations within pulses, grains, and meat sectors.
- Supporting those networks that facilitate routes to market for agroecological produce.
- Running a public procurement network in the North of England programme.
Some examples of what is currently being delivered by NFF network members:
Publication and dissemination of a report on “The Role of Public Procurement in Resilient Food Systems in the North of England”
Better Food Traders training on access to public procurement and engaging with North East food and drink producers in a dynamic procurement pilot
Leeds (Zest) piloting procurement of pulses in schools
Food for Life scheme
Nature Friendly Farming Network working with the NHS Hospital Caterers Association on farm visits and connecting with nature friendly food producers
Priority next steps identified by the NFF network in May 2025:
Run a collaborative public procurement group in the North of England to link up all the pieces of work that are happening
Raise awareness of where local agroecological food can be sourced from
Engage with academic institutions who are running research projects in this area to gain leverage with larger institutions