European Commission Survey Highlights Organic Food Use in School Canteens

A questionnaire to understand the relationship between local administrations and organic products and to identify tools for promotion 

While Denmark stands out (for years, almost all the food used in school canteens has been organic), Italy is still at the top of the rankings for the use of organic products in public catering, a record favored by legislation. 

Article 59 of Law No. 488/1999, the “2000 Finance Act”, already stipulated that “in order to ensure the promotion of organic and quality agricultural production, public institutions that manage school and hospital canteens shall include organic, typical and traditional products, as well as those with protected designation of origin, in their daily diets”. This was followed by the Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) adopted as part of the Plan for the environmental sustainability of consumption in the public administration sector, which set high (albeit variable) percentages for the use of organic foodstuffs. 

Collective catering plays an important role, both in terms of dissemination (administrations are required to organize information activities on the quality of the products used) and in terms of consumption. 
The European Commission is aware of this and has launched a questionnaire for local authorities on their experiences with organic food in public catering and on educational activities focusing on organic food. 

The aim is to obtain an overall picture of the situation in the 27 Member States, also with a view to launching further policies aimed at increasing the distribution of organic products in this specific channel. 

Data collection ended on 20 November 2025, so it is too early to know the results, but the Commission's intention to map the current experiences of public administrations in the field of organic food in collective catering is certainly positive. 

The information will be useful for promoting the most significant experiences, but also for studying forms of support for administrations committed to improving food quality in public services across Europe. 

While awaiting the results, it is no longer possible to respond, but the questionnaire can be read at Organic Food IT.

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Suolo e Salute is one of Europe's leading inspection and certification bodies for organic farming, quality agri-food products, and environmental standards. It certifies nearly 29,000 operators under several certification schemes, including organic farming, GlobalG.A.P., integrated farming, and animal welfare.

In Italy, Suolo e Salute is the leading certification body for organic production, with more than 24,500 certified operators and over 710,000 hectares under inspection. The company has more than 150 employees and a network of over 300 auditors. In 2025, Suolo e Salute became part of the Cotecna Group and is now able to offer certification services worldwide. For more information, please visit www.suoloesalute.it.