In Nancy, the prefecture of Meurthe-et-Moselle officially launched this Monday a call for expressions of interest (AMI) on the “structuring of local food circuits and their logistics”. Objective, to strengthen the share of local production in public collective catering. Nearly 10 million meals per year are affected.
Around the table, state services, the Chamber of Agriculture of Meurthe-et-Moselle, the Grand Est Regional Council, the departmental council of Meurthe-et-Moselle, the Greater Nancy Metropolis, the Departmental Directorate of National Education services, the Nancy CHRU, the CROUS Lorraine, the Nancy defense base, the Nancy inter-administrative restaurant, but also the Meurthe-et-Moselle Chamber of Agriculture. All accompany the call for expressions of interest (AMI) on the “structuring of local food circuits and their logistics” which was officially signed in Nancy this Monday, October 14, 2024 in the prefecture of Meurthe-et-Moselle.
Encourage sustainable, local agriculture by accentuating the share of local products on collective catering plates thanks to the weight of public ordering. The project was born during the agricultural crisis at the beginning of 2024 and then developed in Meurthe-et-Moselle through exchanges between State services and stakeholders in the agricultural world, farmers, cooperatives and wholesalers. From farm to fork, this call aims to identify and then support over the long term cooperation projects for the benefit of local producers and stakeholders in Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine and the Grand Est.
The market is important in Meurthe-et-Moselle. “More or less all administrations, all local authorities are concerned, between 8 and 10 million meals per year which are served in Meurthe-et-Moselle,” underlines Françoise Souliman, prefect of Meurthe-et-Moselle. Figures which include catering in educational establishments. For the department’s 66 public colleges, “3 million meals are distributed per year to nearly 20,800 half-boarders, or 75% of students in school,” explains Chaynesse Khirouni, president of the Meurthe-et-Moselle Departmental Council. .
Connecting public procurement with actors in the agricultural sector
The first returns from the call for expressions of interest (AMI) are expected in 2025. They will provide information to public decision-makers and submit short-term proposals in compliance with the provisions of the EGAlim and Climate and Resilience laws. and in the long term. Firstly by promoting the linking of public procurement with players in already organized sectors capable of supplying defined quantity and quality, particularly in the activities of meat, dairy products and fruits (apples, Mirabelle plums) or even cereals. , indicates the Prefecture of Meurthe-et-Moselle. In the longer term, to help, through collective catering and public ordering, in the structuring of new sectors (field vegetables, legumes, poultry, pork, etc.) while ensuring visibility on the commitments that can be made and on the conditions to be respected.
This signature of a call for expressions of interest follows two Territorial Food Projects (PAT) supported by communities and previously signed in the department to promote “healthy, dignified and sustainable food for all”. Several projects are underway at the departmental level, such as the creation of a purchasing center for public collective catering, supported by Departmental Council 54, or even at the level of the Greater Nancy Metropolis, the creation of a marketing platform for local food products and a central kitchen for the production of meals partly from local agriculture.
