Cleaner Technology Projects in Denmark 1996
Conversion to Organic Food Consumption in the Public Sector
Omlægning til økologisk fødevareforbrug i det offentlige
Arbejdsrapport nr. 60, 1996, Miljøstyrelsen
The purchasing policy of the state must be altered so that it also includes organic food. This report examines the possibilities of developing an organic, self-supporting and sustainable food system, in which the conversion to consumption of organic food in the public sector is performed in close co-operation with users, institutions, public administrations and producers.
Politicians, staff etc. are more concerned about serving organic food in public institutions. This includes state, county and municipal institutions (e.g. prisons, hospitals, kindergartens and old people‘s homes).
Based on three years experience with the development of a strategy for transition to organic food for children in 25 kindergartens in Copenhagen it was proposed to develop and test a general model for conversion of public institutions managed by municipalities.
The model is based on the assumptions that organic food is a part of a greater phenomena including people’s desire to act according to the ideas of the UN Agenda 21 and the ecological sustainability. Another assumption is that food is more than just nourishment, it is also the ecological awareness and skills belonging to the context of the food.
This implies that the model should include:
 | Ways and means of learning about food and recycling both as professionals and as a main issue in the children (and adult care). |
| Professional and informal systems, which can produce and distribute organic food in a local food web page. |
| New ways and means of co-operation between the private and the public domains. |
Following discussions with the Minister of the Environment, Svend Auken, it was decided to include the idea and initiate a project within the frame of the development of the green state policy for public procurements.
As this conversion concept is rather comprehensive it was agreed to carry out a pilot project in order to plan the main project. The project was carried out with funding from the Ministry of the Environment and Energy. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries participated in the project board as they were also expected to fund the main project within the State scheme for support for the development of organic agriculture.
Two municipalities, Albertslund and Fredericia, respectively, joined the project. Both municipalities had already decided to convert the food consumption in their public institutions into organic food. Descriptions and analysis of existing policies, conditions and resources were carried out.
Based on the individual municipal situation strategies for the conversion process were developed in co-operation with each municipality. These strategies followed the ideas of the proposed model and included plans within each municipality for production and distribution of organic food, change of kitchen routines and food schemes, establishment of management bodies and staff training.
A proposal for a project with a time frame of three years was drafted. The overall idea was to develop and improve the conversion approach by a process of reciprocal participation between the municipal groups and the project group and to manage, analyse and inform about the project and its elements to other interested institutions as well as politicians and municipal authorities.
Finally, the idea and the proposed budget were negotiated with the representatives from the two ministers. The proposed plans for the conversion turned out to include too many aspects according to the civil servants. The implication was that the total budget would be too high. However, the project group argued that this project must be complex and include several parallel aspects, and therefore it would be managed and funded separately. The project group argued that this would prevent the flexibility of the conversion process needed in order to meet the local demands.
The project group decided therefore not to continue to apply for funding for the main project. The far-reaching and locally based ideas of this conversion concept seems to be in opposition to the dominant views on both the current municipal and state economics. In spite of this, it is the notion of the project group that our concept is a logical consequence of the Agenda 21 approach if major problems in the future with e.g. energy, employment, water, food, etc. are to be avoided.
Author/ institution
Per Kølster, Anders Dahl, Jørgen Sandby og Camilla Plum
Kongelige Veterinær og Landbohøjskole, Center for Økologi og Miljø
This report is subsidised by the National Council for Recycling and Cleaner Technology.
ISSN no. 0908-9195
ISBN no. 87-7810-671-0