Healthy food in public institutions
Digitalization of the joint public food procurement process in public institutions through a dynamic procurement system with the digital product Food Catalog. City of Kranj aims to increase local food self-sufficiency and use locally produced food in public institutions (schools and kindergartens). To achieve this, they conducted a joint public food procurement in public institutions, with 12 institutions from Kranj, Šenčur, Cerkelj, and Naklo participating. By introducing digitalization into the process of public food procurement in public institutions, City of Kranj has achieved transparency and increased the share of locally produced food in the menus of school and kindergarten children.
Reasons for implementing the project
Since the previous method of ordering was ineffective and did not allow for achieving the desired percentages of organic food, City of Kranj collaborated with an external institution that developed the Food Catalog product for public procurement. The Food Catalog, acting as a digital platform, includes suppliers (providers, producers, farmers, etc.) with all the attributes necessary for public procurement (product description, weight, origin, packaging, etc.). With the introduction of digitalization, both the City of Kranj and public institutions have transparent oversight of the ordered products. The use of the Food Catalog is user-friendly for both suppliers and food organizers.
Solution Innovation
The traditional method of ordering food through spreadsheets has been replaced by the Food Catalog, enabling suppliers and food organizers to enter offers and prepare estimates for public procurement easily. The solution is considered highly innovative, with Kranj's public institutions being the first to implement it in Slovenia. The implementation of the solution enables a modern and transparent way of ordering food, with concrete measurability expressed in the increased share of locally produced food (organic food and food from quality schemes) through contracts with suppliers/producers.
Improvement of existing processes
The existing method of public food procurement was inefficient, requiring manual and time-consuming calculations of percentages. With the introduction of digitalization, the entire ordering process has become faster, more transparent, and enables accurate calculations of the percentages and quantities of ordered food. The Food Catalog also allows for ordering food with less packaging, indirectly impacting the environment and climate neutrality.
Positive Impact on the Environment and Vulnerable Groups
The digitalization of the food procurement process directly impacts citizens by increasing the share of locally produced food in the menus of public institutions. The solution also indirectly affects parents by promoting healthy eating habits and the use of locally produced food.
Social Challenges and Citizen Needs
The solution directly addresses current social challenges and follows global sustainable development goals, contributing to climate neutrality. It meets the specific needs of citizens, as the awareness of locally produced food is strong among the residents of Kranj and its surroundings.
Sustainability and Project Resilience
The project includes several sustainable practices, following the "from farm to fork" initiative. By increasing the use of locally produced food, the project promotes sustainable food production, reduces carbon footprint, decreases packaging waste, and encourages rational food preparation and ordering, thus reducing food waste.
Positive environmental impact
The project contributes to achieving climate neutrality (Kranj is part of the EU Mission 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities) by increasing local food self-sufficiency. The digital platform, already implemented by Kranj, will measure the carbon footprint of delivering produce to public institutions, a key performance indicator for increasing local food self-sufficiency through the Food Catalog.
Digitalization
Public food procurement through the Food Catalog represents a digital adaptation and enhancement compared to previous years, as all suppliers' offers are collected and organized in a modern digital environment. The project responds to environmental challenges by increasing locally produced food, reducing the carbon footprint, decreasing packaging, and reducing food surplus.