Healthy food procurement in schools and other public settings
When governments set nutrition standards for foods served and sold in schools, hospitals, and other public institutions, they make the public sector an engine for health and resilience.
Challenge
Food high in salt, fat, and sugar are often served and sold in government settings, putting millions of students, workers, and patients at risk.
Solution
We support governments to use their purchasing power to ensure foods in public institutions support healthier diets.
Impact
Nutritional standards for foods served in public institutions every day, improve millions of meals each day and set an example for the rest of the country.
What is healthy public food procurement?
Healthy public food policies set nutrition standards for the foods that governments purchase, serve, and sell in public institutions such as schools, hospitals, and workplaces.
These policies guide what foods can be bought and offered—prioritizing healthier options and limiting salt, sugar, unhealthy fats, and ultra-processed foods—so that meals served with public funds support healthy diets.
Highlights
Healthy public food procurement and service resource library
Evidence and tools for creating nutritional standards, browsable by type of guidance, setting, and location
Guide to developing nutrition standards
Resource that governments can use to ensure foods and beverages purchased, served or sold in government settings are healthy and low in sodium
WHO’s Action framework on public food procurement and service policies
An overview of how to develop, implement, monitor, and evaluate the effectiveness of healthy public food procurement and service policies.
How RTSL supports healthy public food procurement
RTSL supports countries to assess their existing food environments using structured tools, including surveys, to map how food is purchased, served, and sold across government institutions. These assessments inform policy development and ensure solutions are tailored to local contexts.
We then provide technical assistance to governments to develop and implement nutrition standards for food in public institutions suited to their needs. Our Guide to Developing Nutrition Standards includes tools, model policies, and guidance aligned with global best practices. It is the first to set specific, measurable, and enforceable global standards for public food procurement.
RTSL works closely with global and local partners—including the World Health Organization (WHO), national governments, and local stakeholders—to align policies with global best practices, build evidence, and share lessons across countries.
