WissensWert regional

Demand for locally produced organic food is rising steadily, particularly in the out-of-home catering sector – such as staff canteens, university canteens, hospitals, and school and nursery kitchens. Nevertheless, producers, processors, logistics companies and commercial kitchens often face significant obstacles when establishing stable, bioregional value chains. In addition to logistical challenges and a lack of coordination structures, unclear legal frameworks and the often inadequate terms of supply and framework contracts constitute a critical bottleneck.

Systematisation and evaluation of functioning value chains

The project therefore focuses on the systematic, application-oriented consolidation and evaluation of existing knowledge on success factors and contractual terms. Through a nationwide analysis of stakeholders and interviews with practitioners, institutional caterers and opinion leaders, the project team investigates the actual functioning and barriers of existing value chains. In doing so, the project deliberately examines not only formal contracts, but also informal forms of cooperation based on verbal agreements. In parallel, a systematic review of national and international specialist literature is being carried out to document the organisational, economic and communicative conditions for success in a structured knowledge database and typology.

Development of practical recommendations and blueprints

A particular focus is on an in-depth analysis of the legal relationships along the value chain. By examining actual contracts and comparing them with literature-based target criteria, legal barriers are identified – for example, regarding price adjustment clauses, off-take guarantees or local government procurement regulations. On this basis, socially and environmentally balanced, legally sound model contract clauses and recommendations are developed, which can be applied directly in practice.

To disseminate the results effectively on a broad scale, the project is developing a multi-stage knowledge transfer package: in addition to a modular practical guide and target-group-specific fact sheets, a policy brief is specifically aimed at decision-makers in politics, local authorities and business development agencies. A specialist webinar, alongside expert articles and trade fair appearances, round off the knowledge transfer.

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs following a resolution by the German Bundestag as part of the Federal Programme for Organic Farming.