Greening the realm: sustainable food chains and the public plate

Abstract

Public procurement is one of the most powerful, yet paradoxical, functions of the state in Britain: powerful, because it deploys a purchasing budget of *150 billion per annum; paradoxical, because its economic significance is inversely related to its political status.Through the prism of the school food service, this article explores the scope for, and the barriers to green procurement - one of the most underrated ways in which governments can help to fashion a more sustainable society. Creating a sustainable school food service is the litmus test of a country's commitment to sustainable development because it involves nothing less than the health and well being of young and vulnerable people.