2 March 2011: Through its Greening the Blue Initiative, the UN has launched a set of guidelines for sustainable procurement in UN cafeterias, food and kitchen equipment.

Prepared by the UN Environment Programme, together with the Russell Partnership, the guidelines include a summary of the key principles of sustainable procurement, key environmental impacts of food, social issues associated with food production, and the principles for implementing best practice.

The guidelines, part of a series on sustainable procurement, are primarily aimed at UN agencies but are available for any organization to use. [UN Press Release] [UN Sustainable Procurement Guidelines]