The experience of Fair Trade Procurement for the Municipality of Rome Paolo Agostini, Municipality of Rome Fair Procura Conference – Bruxelles 19 April 2007

Procurement for the school canteens Contracts 2004-2007: 140.000 students (3-14 years old) involved over 100 million euro for the yearly amount (like the turnover of a main italian food company) weight of the criteria for the contract awarding: 51% for the price, 49% for the project proposed to follow the specification

Procurement for the school canteens Priorities for the specification of the contracts: food quality and students safety support to the economical sectors involved in the sustainable development like organic products and fairtrade; such sectors are disadvantage by the global market logic focused on profits New Italian regulation for the public purchasing approved in april 2006: economical advantage subordinated to social and enviromental considerations and to the promotion of the sustainable development

Fairtrade products for 2004-07 Weekly consumption: 280.000 bananas and 140.000 chocolats (both also organic) offered by the catering companies to reach the premium incentives 3,3 million euro for the yearly fairtrade value (3% of the total value of the contracts) Impacts on fairtrade: increase of 10% for the fairtrade bananas quota on the total italian organic market new worldshops in Rome and general increase of the fairtrade organization activities improvement of the price for the producers of banana, cacao and sugar

Other incentives for the sustainable development 70% of products are organic (of which 15% are also fairtrade) preference to companies focused 100% on organic products meat from slow growth animals reduction in the plastic use (increase of ceramics) differentiated waste disposal reduction of noise in the canteen recovery of not used food

The new contract for 2007-2012 145.000 meals/day nearly 140 million euro for the yearly amount improvements in the support to the sustainable development in terms of promotion of organizations and products attentive to social and enviromental aspects confirmation of the greatest attention to the food safety

The new contract: fairtrade growth fairtrade products obligatory (not more optional) increase of the consumption: 290.000 bananas/ week, larger weight of chocolate for older students (nearly 3.900 kg/week of chocolate) new biscuits (286.000 packages/week) composed with 30% of fairtrade ingredients (sugar, cacao, honey, tapioca) around 30 million euro for the fairtrade total amount (5 years), corresponding to 4,3% of the total value of the contract

The new contract: other improvements support to the social cooperatives employing disadvantaged people plastic elimination; use of crockery to be recycled or made with biodegradable materials. Detergents with low enviromental impact. support to the integration of immigrants: montly day with ethnic menu of the most important origin countries new concept of guaranteed freshness for meat and some fruit and vegetables: aim to improve quality and to develope the local production