Innovative procurement of climate-smart catering

Vinnova works with innovation to transform the food system to be sustainable for both people and the environment.

Procurement means an opportunity to adjust and influence in a new direction that includes the entire food chain, from transportation and packaging to agriculture. We wanted to go ahead and show that this can be done by setting reasonable but challenging eligibility requirements for catering. We hope that others can follow our example, says Maria Edholm, who works with procurement support at Vinnova.

The procurement was won by Fågelängens Catering, which on the initiative of Vinnova also chose to use WWF's label One Planet Plate for all meals that Vinnova procured. One Planet Plate is a guide and label for those who want to eat and serve meals within the planet's boundaries, by taking into account both climate and biodiversity.

During a normal year, Vinnova serves around 4,000 lunches at meetings with external visitors and procures catering for around half a million kronor. The requirements in the procurement were, among other things, an impact in the form of the highest number of carbon dioxide equivalents per lunch and that plastic may not be included in catering deliveries to Vinnova. Taste testing and sustainability reporting were used as decisive criteria for selecting a supplier.

- The goal was delicious food with a minimal climate footprint from a supplier that integrated sustainability throughout the company. There will be a large number of plant-based raw materials adapted to the growing season, focus on sustainable agriculture and reduced food waste, says Maria Edholm.