Transforming the public plate: A menu of options for public food procurement that nourishes people, place and planet

Public food procurement stands as one of the most powerful, yet chronically underutilised, policy levers available to Australian governments. Every day, publicly funded institutions – hospitals, residential aged care facilities, long day care, prisons, schools, defence facilities and community food programs – purchase and serve food to millions of Australians. These are not simply transactions. Collectively, these purchasing decisions shape production systems, supply chains, diets, livelihoods and environmental outcomes. They determine who thrives within our food system and who is left behind. Transforming the Public Plate is an Australian first. It provides the most comprehensive national picture to date of public food procurement – mapping its scale, structure, constraints and transformative potential. Drawing on expenditure analysis, policy research, procurement practice, community perspectives, international evidence and scenario modelling, this report demonstrates that sustainable public food procurement is both feasible and achievable within existing government systems. What it requires is coordinated action and sustained investment to bridge the gap between intent and impact. The report makes four foundational contributions to understanding and action: 1. Mapping the national food procurement landscape – revealing who buys food, under what arrangements, and at what value, establishing a baseline for transparency, accountability and reform. 2. Identifying constraints and opportunities – examining the procurement rules, contract structures, renewal cycles and policy settings that shape current practice, while exposing barriers to First Nations and regional participation and pathways for meaningful change. 3. Modelling scenarios for transformation – testing outcomes across a spectrum from incremental improvement to transformative approaches aligned with health, sustainability and economic development goals. 4. Charting clear pathways to action – translating evidence into practical, implementable steps that governments, institutions and funders can take immediately.