France to dish up 50% organic and sustainable food in canteens by 2022

Last week, the French minister of agriculture and food, Didier Guillaume, announced the establishment of the National Council for Collective Catering (CNRC). The body will be headed up by a general manager at the ministry of food, agriculture and fishing, Mireille Riou-Canals.

The CNRC has a number of objectives that aim to ensure better quality food is served by caterers around the country.

Specifically, the CNRC has been tasked with ensuring that 50% of food served by caterers is organic, sustainable, or of a specific quality by 2022.

The body will first look at how to best elaborate on current regulations, and pilot implementation strategies.

Other plans include focus on the nutritional quality of meals, and discussions on whether the display of food compositions in catering venues should be mandatory.

“The success of our ambitions for sustainable food can only be the result of collective action,” ​said Guillaume.

“The NRC must now, by engaging a collective dynamic, allow an operational deployment of the orientations set by the law ‘Agriculture and Food’.” ​

Healthy eating is well and truly on the radar of the French government. Just last month, the French National Assembly voted unanimously​​ to adopt a bill ‘to improve the nutritional quality of food and encourage food eating practices’.

According to the bill, Nutri-Score labels must be displayed on advertisements for food products. Nutri-Score ranks food according to a letter and colour – from dark green (A) to dark red (F) – to help consumers make healthier food choices.

The bill also provided for the introduction of optional nutrition education in schools.