Food procurement in mass catering services: the relevance of short supply chains in the public and private sector

In recent years, mass catering companies have increasingly engaged local producers and promoted short food supply chains to incorporate socio-environmental considerations in their food procurement programs. This strategy aims to provide sustainable alternatives and limit the externalities generated by the industrialized food system. To be!er understand how these companies operate in fostering local food sourcing, this chapter examines two cases: Sercar Spa, a a contracting-authority providing catering services to public schools in Bergamo through La Buona Mensa project, and cirFOOD, a cooperative specialized in mass catering services for a wide-range of institutions. Aiming to highlight the benefits and challenges of local food procurement in mass catering, findings show that the engagement of local suppliers and the purchasing of organic and certified foods are mainly influenced by compliance regulations in the public sphere, while markets demand play a key role in the private sector. Although the promotion of quality food and the reduction of negative impacts emerge as a positive aspect of the programs, challenges such as limited production capacity oflocal farmers and communication issues also characterize them.The establishment of solid partnerships, use of digital managementtools, and information exchanges can facilitate progress. Additionally local food policies and community engagement contribute tothe adoption of sustainable procurement practices.