German ministries lack oversight of organic and animal‑welfare food buying

Green Party agriculture spokesperson Olga Voglauer said a parliamentary inquiry revealed that more than half of German federal ministries have "little to no overview" of compliance with organic (Bio) and animal‑welfare criteria in their food procurement. The inquiry, based on the action plan for sustainable public procurement in force since July 2021, showed that ministries cannot or will not quantify the share of organic products purchased for 2025, and no ministry could provide figures for animal‑welfare products. The plan requires 30 % of food budgets to be spent on organic items, half of pork and sausage purchases to come from animal‑welfare farms, and 100 % of meat to be fed with non‑GMO feed. The defence ministry, for example, bought food worth €24.8 million last year but only €910 000 (3.67 %) was organic. Voglauer criticised Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner for conflating regional sourcing with quality, stating that “regionality does not replace criteria such as pesticide use, animal welfare or non‑GMO feed.” The Greens argue that the current reporting obscures the failure to meet mandated organic and animal‑welfare targets.