Research

Animal Welfare in Public Procurement

Governments, schools, hospitals and prisons purchase enormous quantities of animal products, making public procurement a powerful lever for welfare improvement.

Key Facts

UK public sector food procurement spends around 2.4 billion GBP annually
Hospital, school and prison food often sources the cheapest available animal products
The Danish public sector has adopted 90% organic food targets that include welfare standards
EU public procurement rules allow welfare criteria to be included in tender specifications
The Good Food Institute estimates institutional food service accounts for 30% of US food spending

Welfare Considerations

Public procurement represents collective consumer power at massive scale. When governments require welfare standards in food purchasing, they send a powerful market signal that shifts supply chain norms. Countries including Denmark and Finland have shown that public sector welfare procurement is practically and financially achievable. In most countries, however, public sector food procurement defaults to lowest cost, systematically rewarding poor welfare practices.

What You Can Do

Advocate for your local council, school or NHS Trust to adopt higher welfare procurement standards
Support political candidates who have committed to government welfare procurement reform
Donate to organisations campaigning for institutional food service welfare improvement
Ask hospital and school catering managers about the welfare standards in their meat and egg purchases