ABSTRACT
In 2007-2008 the world faced a global food crisis. After 2008, food prices have continued to rise globally due to a number of complex factors, raising concerns on food prices and retail competition also within the European Union (EU). Local preferences within the EU law are considered as an instrument restricting the free movement of goods and freedom to provide services, which are two of the fundamental principles of the EU law. In 2008, after many years of stability, the global food prices skyrocketed by 83 percent since 2005, which was a stern warning of a food crisis throughout the world. Public procurement of foods seems a convenient instrument enabling national governments to support local food production. The equal treatment principle in the procurement directives was first articulated by the Court of Justice of the European Union in Storebaelt. Food quality is a complex notion frequently measured using objective indices related to the nutritional, microbiological or physicochemical characteristics of food.
