Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced his intention to require state-run school cafeterias to source their supplies exclusively from the European Union. During a visit to a farm in the Eure region on Friday, he deemed it "unthinkable" that public procurement should continue to purchase agricultural and food products from non-EU countries, given that state-run institutional catering represents nearly one billion euros in orders annually.
Sébastien Lecornu denounced a situation that taxpayers find difficult to understand: financing, with public funds, goods imported from very far away, with what he described as an "absolutely appalling carbon and climate footprint." He nevertheless rejected the idea of "national preference," arguing that France, a major exporter within the European market, cannot defend a strictly French approach but must prioritize a European framework.
Towards regaining control of public procurement
The head of government acknowledges that he does not currently have precise data on the proportion of food purchases made by public canteens outside the European Union. He says he has requested a report from the relevant departments, but has not received a complete response. He therefore promises to "take full control of public procurement," considering mechanisms to "reward or penalize" public buyers based on their adherence to these objectives.
The government plans to enshrine this policy in future legislation, particularly in the upcoming agricultural law and in future laws on decentralization. This announcement comes as the agricultural sector, mobilized notably against the EU-Mercosur agreement, regularly accuses the state and its suppliers of failing to meet commitments regarding quotas for local or organic products in institutional catering.
