Transforming Menus, Transforming Diets: The Power of Procurement for Health and Sustainability 

In the face of growing health and sustainability challenges, transforming our food systems has never been more urgent. Food service procurement – the process of sourcing food for institutions such as schools, hospitals, workplaces, and restaurants – plays a crucial role in shaping the diets of billions worldwide. By embedding nutrition considerations into procurement decision-making, organizations can drive positive change – creating healthier food environments and aligning with global sustainability goals. 

A new WBCSD report explores this opportunity. It provides initial insights, best practices, and actionable recommendations for integrating nutrition into food service procurement. With input from industry experts, the report highlights how organizations can approach nutrition within procurement, the challenges they face, and the opportunities to strengthen nutrition integration.  

Understanding the challenge: barriers to nutrition-focused procurement 

Despite the potential of nutrition-focused procurement, several barriers prevent its widespread adoption. The food service industry faces numerous challenges, including: 

• Budget constraints: Many organizations operate on tight budgets, making cost a dominant factor in procurement decisions. 

• Operational misalignment: Lack of coordination between procurement, culinary, and nutrition teams can sideline nutrition considerations, and varying nutrition standards across locations create inconsistencies. 

• Knowledge and data gaps: Procurement teams and menu planners may lack nutrition expertise, and obtaining reliable nutrition data from suppliers can be challenging. 

• Consumer demand and behavior: While people express a desire for healthier options, actual purchasing behavior does not always reflect this. 

• Supply chain limitations: Ensuring consistent availability of nutritious, sustainable ingredients at scale can be difficult. 

Effective food solutions exist  

The report underscores the need for stronger integration of nutrition into procurement – without intentional action, food procurement decisions risk reinforcing less healthy diets – and identifies several best practices and strategies, such as: 

• Establishing clear nutrition policies and goals to guide decision-making and align with sustainability targets. 

• Leveraging data and analytics to measure progress and ensure accountability. 

• Strengthening supplier collaboration to improve the nutritional quality of food offerings and ensure consistent supply. 

• Fostering internal alignment between procurement, culinary, nutrition, and sustainability teams. 

• Ensuring internal champions who advocate for nutrition-focused initiatives. 

• Providing training and education for procurement stakeholders to build awareness and capacity for nutrition-focused decision-making. 

• Increasing consumer acceptability through menu design and marketing strategies. 

If we want to see real change in food systems, we need to embed nutrition considerations into every stage of decision-making, including procurement. Equipping teams with the right knowledge helps ensure that nutrition isn’t an afterthought but a core part of how food is sourced and served.

– Jackie Schulz, Senior Director of Global Nutrition, Griffith Foods 

Driving change through collaboration 

Achieving meaningful change in food service procurement requires pre-competitive collaboration – where industry players work together to solve shared challenges. The report highlights three key areas for collective action: 

• Data transparency and standardization: Making nutrition data more accessible and standardized will help procurement teams evaluate products more effectively. 

• Aligning nutrition standards: Establishing common nutrition guidelines will enable suppliers to better meet the needs of food service operators. 

• Balancing nutrition and sustainability: Companies can share best practices to ensure that both health and environmental goals are met without compromise. 

By fostering partnerships and knowledge-sharing, stakeholders can accelerate progress and drive systemic change. 

Aligning procurement with sustainability as well as nutrition goals isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s a powerful lever for change. When businesses prioritize health in their sourcing decisions, they have the ability to shift the entire food system toward better outcomes for people and the planet.

– Chavanne Hanson, Food Choice Architecture and Nutrition Lead, Google

Be part of the change 

The food service industry has a unique opportunity to influence what people eat every day. By embedding nutrition considerations into procurement decision-making, businesses and institutions can not only support public health but also contribute to a more sustainable future. 

Access the full report for insights into challenges, solutions, and real-world case studies, and start transforming food service procurement (in your organization) today.  

This report was created by a collaborative effort between consultancy Eat Well Global, WBCSD, and companies and experts across the food service procurement value chain. 

For more information about this report, please contact the Healthy & Sustainable Diets team.