Government Regulations for School Lunch Procurement: Opportunities and Challenges in Linking with Community Food Systems

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the opportunities and obstacles related to regulations governing school food procurement and budgeting in the context of sourcing food ingredients from community food systems. The research employed two qualitative approaches: case study and document review. Policy Analysis Triangle Framework was used as the main framework for data collection and analysis. Ten schools from five regions across the country were selected as case studies: six affiliated with the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC), three with local administrative organizations (LAOs), and one with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The study collected primary data through in-depth interviews with case studies and secondary data through government documents. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: The implementation of rules and regulations created the following opportunities: prioritizing food quality and safety over price; increasing the lunch budget and enhancing budget management flexibility for schools under LAOs; and promoting the purchase of raw materials from small-scale farmers, particularly those who practice chemical-free cultivation. The following obstacles emerged from the implementation of regulations: schools under OBEC faced more bureaucratic budget management than those under LAOs, schools continued to receive delayed and insufficient budgets, and there were no government policies in place to encourage schools to purchase food ingredients from local communities or to promote the use of safe ingredients.

Policy recommendations: Based on the key findings, here are policy recommendations: 1) Issue measures to create economic incentives for schools to promote purchasing safe food ingredients or sourced from the community food system. 2) Local government agencies should provide supports to schools in terms of additional budget and technical assistance for inspecting the quality and safety of food ingredients. 3) Issue specific criteria and guidelines for sustainable government food procurement. 4) Central government educational agencies issue guidelines or prototypes of contract details or Terms of References used in hiring food entrepreneurs.