WBCSD: How Food Service Procurement can Drive Sustainability

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has examined how food service procurement influences supply chain sustainability in its new report: Building an Inclusive Procurement Strategy: Best Practices for Advancing Nutrition through Food Service Procurement.

It highlights how procurement decisions can improve food environments by integrating nutrition policies, fostering collaboration and balancing cost with health priorities.

Through interviews with 10 contributors, WBCSD explores strategies to align procurement with sustainability goals.

Chavanne Hanson, Food Choice Architecture and Nutrition Manager at Google, states: “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 prioritise health in their sourcing decisions, they have the ability to shift the entire food system toward better outcomes for people and the planet.”

Nutrition’s role in sustainable supply chains

Food service procurement plays a critical role in improving sustainable and healthy food systems. However, procurement decisions are often impacted by cost, consumer demand and regulatory requirements, leaving nutrition as an afterthought.

By embedding nutrition into procurement strategies, organisations can contribute to global sustainability goals, mitigate climate change and create healthier food environments.

The report highlights findings from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), which estimates that diet-related health costs represent 70% of hidden costs in the global food system.

According to Tilt Collective, transitioning to plant-rich diets by 2050 could lead to:

• A 40% reduction in biodiversity loss
• One-third fewer greenhouse gas emissions
• A one-third decrease in water usage
• The equivalent of 150 million years of healthy, productive life saved globally

Despite these benefits, procurement teams face several barriers to integrating nutrition into sourcing decisions.

Many organisations prioritise affordability, assuming that healthier food is costlier. Schools, hospitals and other institutions operate within tight budgets, making investment in healthier options difficult to justify.

Decentralised procurement structures further complicate integration, as independent decision-making by departments and locations creates misalignment between procurement, culinary and nutrition teams.

Additionally, consumer behaviour often contradicts stated preferences for healthier options, as purchasing decisions still favour convenience, affordability and taste.

Strategies for embedding nutrition in procurement

To address these challenges, WBCSD outlines several key strategies for integrating nutrition into procurement practices.

These include:

• Establishing clear nutrition goals and policies
• Leveraging data and analytics to guide decision-making
• Strengthening supplier relationships to align on health objectives
• Ensuring internal teams collaborate effectively
• Encouraging culinary innovation and marketing to drive demand for healthier options
• Providing training and education to procurement teams
• Increasing consumer acceptability through engagement and awareness

By adopting these measures, organisations can align procurement with sustainability and ESG commitments.

Jackie Schulz, Senior Director of Global Nutrition at Griffith Foods, states: “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.”

The future of procurement and supply chain sustainability

The report suggests that procurement decisions will increasingly shape supply chains, influencing business strategy, consumer expectations and environmental impact.

By integrating nutrition and ethical sourcing into procurement, organisations can not only meet regulatory and investor expectations but also enhance industry-wide transformation.

As WBCSD outlines, procurement will be a key catalyst for sustainable and resilient food systems in the future, with businesses expected to prioritise health, ethical sourcing and supply chain sustainability to remain competitive.

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