Good Food Purchasing Australia (GFPA) has released a report detailing the cost of public food spending – estimated to be more than $2.13 billion annually. Transforming the Public Plate outlines current food procurement across publicly funded institutions and programs, and urges government and industry to establish more sustainable, streamlined, and consistent practices.
Commissioned by philanthropic organisation Macdoch Foundation in September 2025, the report posits that existing public food spending can deliver better outcomes for sustainability, health, and local industry if coordinated action is taken.
Undertaken by the recently formed GFPA, Transforming the Public Plate estimates the value of public food spending by Australian governments across aged care facilities, hospitals, prisons, Defence, long day care centres and other public settings exceeds $2.13 billion, and offers an opportunity for introducing more sustainable and healthier practices into these critical environments.
The spending breakdown by institution is estimated to be approximately:
- Residential aged care: $1.07 billion
- Public hospitals: $345 million
- Long day care: $332 million
- Correctional facilities: $158 million
- Defence: $78 million
- Meals on Wheels: $65 million
- Residential care (mental health and homelessness): $58 million
- TAFE hospitality training: $15 million
- School meals: $4 million
- Antarctic bases: $3 million
Transforming the Public Plate maps the national landscape of public food procurement and makes evidence-based recommendations to improve national wellbeing utilising existing budgets, including:
- Improving nutrition and reducing preventable chronic disease by shifting institutional meals toward fresh and minimally processed food.
- Supporting Australian businesses and regional farming communities by directing more public food spend to local producers and processors.
- Strengthening supply chain resilience and improving national food security for communities while diversifying supply chains.
- Supporting farmers to transition to more regenerative, sustainable practices with reduced financial risk.
- Advancing equity and inclusion, including First Nations food sovereignty, community participation and fair livelihoods throughout the supply chain.
- Putting downward pressure on the estimated $274 billion in annual hidden health, environmental and economic costs associated with our food system.
- Cutting food system emissions, which account for a third of Australia's emissions.
The report states its key goals are to ensure access to nutritious food for all Australians in institutional settings, improve biodiversity and reduce climate impacts across the food system, and prioritise local procurement and regional economic development to build resilient communities.
Global context
The release of the report comes as Australia’s food system and supply chains, including food supplied to public institutions such as hospitals and aged care centres, are under extreme cost and supply pressures due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
GFPA co-lead and report co-author, Dheepa Jeyapalan, said better public food procurement is not about spending more, it's about spending smarter.
“The evidence is clear, public support is strong, and the solutions exist. Given the threat to our food system caused by the global fuel and fertiliser crisis, now is the moment for leadership,” said Jeyapalan.
Transforming the Public Plate uses evidence including case studies from local leadership and international best practice to show how even modest changes to food procurement criteria and practice can deliver disproportionate benefits. The recommendations include establishing mandatory nutrition and sustainability standards for all publicly funded food, legislating targets for healthy, local, sustainable food procurement and investing in local infrastructure.
Transforming the Public Plate project manager, Emma-Kate Rose, said public food procurement is not an abstract policy – it impacts millions of people every day and is a choice governments make about what food they buy, from whom, and to what standard.
“If governments are serious about strengthening Australia's resilience, smarter public food procurement is an immediate, practical lever,” said Rose.
“It keeps billions of taxpayer dollars circulating in Australian communities, supports local farmers and builds shorter, more resilient local supply chains while costing no more than what we already spend.”
The report outlines a public food procurement system marked by a near-exclusive focus on cost and scale, and calls for better coordination, greater transparency and a more balanced approach that prioritises local procurement.
Key findings include:
- Public food procurement is dominated by large suppliers and multinationals, with limited pathways for small, medium, local and First Nations producers to participate.
- Low-quality ingredients are accepted and widespread in public settings, contributing to poor diet and long-term health costs.
- There is no national framework of standards, baselines or targets to drive better outcomes from public food spending.
- Australia is lagging behind comparable countries – Scotland, the UK, EU and parts of the United States and Canada have already moved to smarter, standards-led procurement.
GFPA co-lead and report co-author, Leah Galvin, said Australia is spending billions of dollars every year feeding people in public institutions, but is not asking nearly enough of that investment.
“Too many public meals rely on low-quality, imported ingredients. Too much of that taxpayer money is heading overseas to offshore and foreign owned suppliers, and we have no national framework to drive improvement or ensure accountability,” said Galvin.
“A different approach can increase the use of fresh, local produce, redirect spending to Australian farmers and producers, support the people working in public food service kitchens, and generate real benefits for Australia.
“Better outcomes are possible through smarter policy and standards. By supporting our public institutions and those that work in them to source and serve better food we can deliver healthier people, stronger communities and a more resilient food system that is capable of withstanding shocks like the fuel and fertiliser crisis we are experiencing,” she said.
The release of the report comes as the federal government continues consultation on Australia's national food security strategy (Feeding Australia), led by the recently-appointed National Food Council, with a final strategy anticipated in early 2027. A national food supply chain assessment is also underway, following the impact of trade disruptions from conflict in the Middle East.
GFPA stated the development of a new national food security strategy is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset how Australia thinks about its food system, and public food procurement reform should be a central pillar of this strategy.
Macdoch Foundation CEO, Michelle Gortan, said the timing could not be more critical.
“Public procurement has the potential to be a powerful lever for change,” said Gortan.
“At a time when Australia is developing solutions to address our national food security, the opportunities outlined in this report are striking: addressing food procurement can be a structural change, and not a band-aid fix for a fragile food system. We have a real chance to align public spending with improved health and nutrition outcomes for the community, while also creating stronger demand for local produce and new market opportunities for Australian farmers.”
The full Transforming the Public Plate report, as well as an executive summary, is available at goodfoodpurchasingaustralia.com.au. GFPA will host a webinar for a report debrief and Q&A on 28 April 2026, with registration available here.
