Aims and Objectives

The following research objectives formed the focus of the research:

To assess the possibilities for more sustainable food procurement policies in the light of the recent reform of EU legislation
To understand the role of the Member States in creating opportunities for sustainable food procurement through a comparative analysis of the contrasting food cultures and political strategies that shape the school meal systems in Italy and the UK
To examine how local authorities active in the development of a sustainable school meal system in five different regions of the UK and Italy carve their room for manoeuvre in the multi-level policy context in which they operate
To examine the implications of sustainable food procurement policies for producers, consumers and the local socioeconomic system
To provide an innovative study that embraces production, consumption and the interface between them in a multi-regional context

Key Research Questions

Does the reform of public procurement regulations in the EU facilitate ‘greener’, more sustainable public procurement policies, and how will it affect the prospects for purchasing local and ‘quality’ food in schools?
In particular, how does the tension between competitive and sustainability criteria play out in practice?
How do we explain diversity in a supposedly uniform EU regulatory regime?
What room for manoeuvre do national differences in food culture and political strategies create for local authorities responsible for the procurement of school meals?
What are the constraints on the creation of a sustainable school meals system, and how do local authorities overcome them?
What is the nature of producer-caterer-consumer relationships in the case study areas?
To what extent are local producers and consumers (i.e. children) encouraged to participate in the school meals system?

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