Sustainable Public Food Procurement (PFP) represents a key game changer for food systems transformation. It can influence both food consumption and food production patterns. It can deliver multiple social, economic, and environmental benefits towards sustainable food systems for healthy diets. This publication aims to contribute to the improved understanding, dissemination, and use of PFP as a development tool in particular in the case of school meals programmes. Specifically, Volume 1 analyses the use of PFP as a development tool, and the PFP’s multiple potential benefits and beneficiaries, taking into consideration the three pillars of sustainability, i.e. the social, economic and environmental pillars. It argues that PFP can provide support for agricultural production by local and smallholder farmers, promote the conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity, and improve the nutrition and health of communities.