Background

Today, there are lots of pressures for more sustainable food systems as a result of dietary changes, growing environmental awareness and an overall demand for healthier food. Public procurement and catering services can serve as trailblazers to respond to these pressures.

These issues are addressed in the Baltic Sea Region project StratKIT (2019-2021) which is aiming to pool public actors’ co-learning and co-innovation resources for intensified policy implementation in terms of circular economy and climate neutrality in Finland, Estonia, Poland, Germany, Denmark and Russia. The project aims at developing the BSR dynamic sustainability model to signify the efforts by public procurement and catering services towards increased sustainability. The project discusses the relative merits and challenges of the practices, developments and initiatives in terms of the sustainability conditions for nutrition on the one hand, and the environment and economy of the food system, on the other.

Event language: English
Cost: The conference is free of charge
Registration: Register by 4 November 2019
Venue: Hotel Meriton Conference & Spa (Tallinn, Toompuiestee 27, Estonia)

Programme Day 1, 12 November

09:00 Registration and coffee

09:30 Opening words by the Minister of Rural Affairs of Estonia, Martin Järvik

09:40 Introduction to the event and short presentation of the StratKIT project

  • Sami Kurki, director, University of Helsinki Ruralia institute

Session 1 – Current trends and developments towards sustainability in public procurement and catering services

09:50 Pressures for sustainable food – the role of public meal in a changing food system

  • Minna Mikkola, Senior Researcher, University of Helsinki Ruralia Institute

10:10 Global trends and new European policy developments in public meal

  • Signe Waltoft Madsen, Central Denmark EU office

10:25 Presentation of new EU GPP criteria for food and catering

  • Enrico Degiorgis, DG Environment European Commission (Video connection)

10:40 Examples of sustainable food procurement in the EU

  • Peter Defranceschi, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability

11:00 What are circular procurements? Concepts and developments in CircularPP project

  • Hanna Salmenperä, Senior Coordinator, Finnish Environment Institute

11:20 Challenges and opportunities for more sustainable public meals in the BSR region

  • Evelin Piirsalu, Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre, SEI Tallinn

11:50 Drivers and barriers for more sustainable public meals

  • Panel discussion, moderated by Sami Kurki, University of Helsinki Ruralia institute

12:30-13:30 Lunch

Session 2 – National frameworks and selected best practices across the Baltic Sea Region

13:30 The Swedish developments towards sustainable public procurement and catering services

  • Anna Post, Senior Lecturer, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

13:50 Best Practices – Wholesalers’ opportunities for reducing food waste

  • Annette Badsberg, Head of Tendering, Hoerkram Foodservice A/S, Denmark

14:10 Animal and plant-based food consumption in change in public catering services

  • Regina Ekroos, Development Director, Espoo Catering Oy, Finland

14:30-15:00 Coffee break and networking

15:00 Organisation of the school meal in Estonia – lessons learned

  • Aaro Lode, Baltic Restaurants, Estonia

15:20 Regional organic public catering is possible – the example of the Regio Week in Berlin schools

  • Frank Nadler, Berlin Food Policy Council, Germany

15:40 Social and environmental innovations in public food consumption in Rybnik

  • Grzegorz Piskalski, expert, Municipality of Rybnik, Poland

16:00 A tasty and successful vegetarian restaurant in St. Petersburg

  • Marina Albi, Owner, Cafe Botanika, St. Petersburg, Russia

16:20 Closing words

16:30 End of the first day

Day 2, 13th November

The StratKIT BSR Roundtable: Discussion about the framework/model of sustainable public procurement and catering – lessons learned and the possible elements of the framework/model. In a round table form, participants will be divided into smaller groups with the possibility of in-depth discussions on selected topics.

Session 3 – BSR Round Table

9:30 – 9:45 Introduction and division into Discussion Groups

9:45 – 11:00 Discussions in groups:

  • Group 1: Procurement strategies towards a sustainable food and catering service
  • Group 2: Vegetarian and vegan diets in public menus
  • Group 3: Organic and local food as a procurement criterium
  • Group 4: Food waste management including raising consumers’ awareness
  • Group 5: Sustainable public meal in international networks and initiatives

11:00-11:15 Short summary of the round table groups by moderators

11:15-14.00 Field trip to the kindergarten and school in Viimsi municipality (includes lunch in the school canteen)