The focus is on regionality: New standards for public procurement in Austria!

The focus is on regionality: New standards for public procurement in Austria!

In Austria, the "Yes too close" initiative is becoming increasingly important in order to promote regional food. A current networking meeting in Obermamau, in the St. Pölten-Land district, brought together representatives from various areas of agriculture and gastronomy. The focus was on the challenges that the industry currently has to cope with, and adaptation to the increased requirements for regional products, such as "https://www.noen.at/niederoesterreich/wirtschaft/aktion-ja-zu--starke-starten-staert--heimische-landwirtschaft-4662319"> Noen.at reported.

Another important step towards the promotion of regional food is the National Action Plan for Sustainable Public Procurement (Habe), which lays the basis for a comprehensive switch to regional products in federal and state canteens. Around 1.8 million people are supplied in canteens every day in Austria, including 450,000 in public institutions that spend over 330 million euros annually. A hysterical focus is on the quality and origin of the food. The action plan stipulates that from 2025 at least 30 percent of the procured foods have to come from biological production. In addition, a transparent origin identification system is introduced to ensure that meat, eggs and milk are clearly awarded as "Austria", "EU" or "non-EU". These steps could also promote consciousness formation for regionality and seasonality, as well as support climate goals, such as Info.bml.gv.at describes.