Greening the realm: sustainable food chains and the public plate

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 paper explores the scope for, and the barriers to, green procurement – one of the most underrated ways in which governments can help 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