Our food system must evolve to meet the challenges of a changing climate. KEKRI promotes sustainable farming practices and bridges the gap between public procurers and small to medium-sized sustainable farmers.
Objective
Climate change will inevitably affect what we eat. To adapt and prepare for these changes, the food system must be developed to become more sustainable than it is today. This involves supporting food producers and processors who consider environmental impacts in their operations and strive to minimise them.
The KEKRI – Sustainable food procurement through RDI collaboration project strengthens the growth capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the Uusimaa food system. Its activities support the transition toward sustainable production methods that recycle nutrients, sequester carbon, and improve soil health.
A key objective of the project is to clarify the criteria for regenerative agriculture and lower the barrier for regenerative and organic producers to participate in public procurement. This ensures that sustainably produced food from diverse sources – not just large-scale industrial players – increasingly finds its way onto plates in schools, daycares, and hospitals. Public kitchens are significant buyers, spending approximately €350 million annually; their purchasing power plays a major role in steering the direction of food production.
Throughout the project, companies will have opportunities to engage in dialogue with the public sector and learn how to offer products to public entities. Public sector procurement expertise will be strengthened through various means, such as establishing criteria for regeneratively farmed raw materials. Both the public sector and entrepreneurs will receive support in using the Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) as a procurement tool.
Duration, Partners, and Funding
- Duration: 1 January 2026 – 31 December 2027
- Partners: Forum Virium Helsinki Oy (Coordinator), Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences Ltd, Baltic Sea Action Group (BSAG)
- Funding: €674,000, Innovative and Skilled Finland 2021–2027, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Funding authority: Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council.
The Role of Forum Virium Helsinki
Forum Virium Helsinki coordinates the project and is specifically responsible for the agile pilot activities. The innovation company supports the dialogue between the public sector and businesses, as well as the implementation of procurement tools.
Forum Virium Helsinki has extensive experience in piloting. The company also led KEKRI’s predecessor, the Urban&Local – Future Sustainable Food Ecosystem project, which built the “edible city” of the future by developing innovative solutions, practices, products, and services for the local food and restaurant sectors.
Benefits for Helsinki
KEKRI supports Helsinki and the entire Uusimaa region in the transition toward a sustainable food system. The cities of Uusimaa are major players in the food market, and their purchasing decisions have a significant impact on the entire food system. When municipalities buy from small businesses utilizing sustainable farming methods, they make value-based choices and encourage other producers to join the change. Simultaneously, Helsinki and other public actors reduce their environmental footprint and support biodiversity.
KEKRI focuses on Uusimaa and specifically promotes the access of local producers to local kitchens. Diverse food production within the region also enhances Helsinki’s security of supply.
Responsibility and Sustainability
A short, transparent, and sustainable food chain is a more responsible alternative to global versions where supply chains are long, centralized, and difficult to trace. Developing alternative food chains is a key part of both national and international climate goals.
Procurement is an integral part of food chains, and its targeting matters. Enabling the public sector to buy sustainably produced food encourages others to develop their production while supporting those who are already farming sustainably.
In 2016, the United Nations (UN) defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Projects funded by the European Union aim to meet these goals. KEKRI addresses at least four of them: the project transforms Uusimaa through sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption, climate action, and life on land.
The KEKRI project follows Helsinki’s guidelines on sustainable procurement, as well as the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, the National Public Procurement Strategy, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Local Food Program, and the National Food Strategy.