Important step ahead: healthier and more sustainable public catering in the European Union
The European Commission has come forward with a new public procurement proposal. Alongside price, it would give priority to health, environmental and social criteria in food procurement. European organisations that support plant-based diets welcome the direction, but argue that clearer and more binding rules are needed instead of voluntary commitments. Our article also explains how we see the situation here in Hungary.
In public catering, quality can matter alongside price
On September 9, 2026, the European Commission presented its proposal for the transformation of the EU public procurement system. The draft devotes a special provision to food procurement, thus acknowledging that public catering is much more than a simple economic issue. The meals served in schools, hospitals, nursing homes and other public institutions affect people’s health, agriculture, local economies, animal welfare and the environment alike.
Under the proposal, in addition to nutritional value and health impacts, food procurement could also take into account organic farming, freshness, seasonality, the fairness and transparency of supply chains, and animal welfare. Moving away from decisions based solely on the lowest price towards best value for money could create an opportunity for higher-quality, more sustainable food and plant-based protein sources to play a greater role in public catering. This is no minor matter: in the European Union, around €50 billion of public money is spent on food procurement every year.
The reception is positive, but…
ProVeg International considers it an important step forward that the European Commission treats food procurement as a standalone area. According to the organisation, publicly funded catering can be an effective tool for promoting healthier diets, sustainable agriculture, shorter supply chains and a more resilient food system. A wider presence of plant-based protein sources on the menus of schools, hospitals and other institutions could serve both health and sustainability goals at once.
ProVeg, however, warns that the draft in its current form is not decisive enough. Procurers can mostly take environmental, social and health criteria into account, but are not necessarily obliged to do so. The numerous exceptions and the “comply or explain” principle could also weaken the impact of the rules. Without clear, uniform and legally grounded requirements, it may still depend on individual institutions whether the offer in public catering really changes.
The European Vegetarian Union (EVU) takes a similar line, although the organisation has not yet published a separate position on the draft presented on September 9. According to its previously stated policy goals, mandatory minimum requirements would be needed in sustainable procurement. The EVU also urges public catering institutions to spend 80% of their food procurement budget on plant-based foods. In an analysis published in summer 2026, ProVeg modelled the economic, health and environmental effects of an even higher, 85% plant-based share. The positions of the two organisations therefore point in essentially the same direction: both welcome the opportunity for change, but believe that real progress requires stronger incentives and more binding rules than voluntary criteria.
NÉGYOSZ’s position
An important part of NÉGYOSZ’s mission is to promote the wider availability of plant-based products and meals, support a more sustainable food supply, and contribute to shaping forward-looking national food regulation through our professional recommendations. Developing public catering is a priority for us, because we are convinced that every child and adult should have access to nutritious, varied and complete plant-based dishes in the institutions where they eat every day.
The EU procurement proposal is a positive development, as it also recognises the importance of criteria such as nutritional value, sustainability, seasonality and organic farming in food procurement. This direction is closely aligned with NÉGYOSZ’s efforts and can create an important foundation for modernising publicly funded catering. However, it does not by itself resolve the issue of the protein transition in Hungarian public catering. EU procurement rules mainly set the framework for purchasing; they cannot replace the specific Hungarian policy decisions needed for plant-based protein sources to appear regularly and meaningfully in institutional catering.
Real change therefore requires the targeted development of national public catering rules. Without clear professional requirements, adequate funding, tested model menus and recipes, and training for kitchen staff, plant-based dishes cannot become reliably and regularly available. The EU proposal can offer support and a favourable direction for this process, but we cannot expect it to deliver the practical implementation of the protein transition: we must create the conditions for that at home.
NÉGYOSZ will therefore continue to work towards making plant-based eating not just an occasional option but a truly accessible choice in Hungarian public catering. This way, institutional catering can not only follow but also actively shape a healthier and more sustainable food system. If you agree with our goals and have not yet signed our Manifesto, please do so here!