NACE 10.1 – Processing and Preserving of Meat | Public Tenders

NACE 10.1: Slaughtering and meat processing in public tenders. CPV codes, contracting authorities and tender examples for the meat industry.

Definition: NACE 10.1 covers the commercial slaughtering of animals and the subsequent processing of meat and meat products. This includes the operation of slaughterhouses and the production of fresh meat, frozen meat, sausage products and other meat products for human consumption.

Legal basis: NACE Rev. 2 (Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006) · Last updated: April 2026

What does NACE 10.1 cover?

NACE 10.1 (Processing and preserving of meat) classifies businesses that slaughter animals, recover slaughter by-products and process meat into finished products — an area of considerable importance for public procurement in canteens, hospitals and security facilities.

Group 10.1 within Section C (Manufacturing) and Division 10 (Manufacture of food products) covers the following classes:

Class	Title	Typical services
10.11	Processing and preserving of meat	Cattle, pig, sheep and goat slaughtering, slaughterhouse operations
10.12	Processing and preserving of poultry meat	Poultry slaughter, poultry cutting, egg processing
10.13	Production of meat and poultry-meat products	Sausage, ham, pâtés, canned products

Public contracting authorities in the context of NACE 10.1 are federal authorities with a catering remit (armed forces, police, correctional services), municipal hospitals and care facilities, publicly run school and works canteens and municipal slaughterhouses.

Public Tenders: Meat Processing and Meat Supply

Meat and sausage products are among the regularly procured food groups in the public sector — from institutional catering in armed-forces barracks to supplies for municipal hospitals, substantial volumes are tendered each year.

Typical types of contract

Meat supplies for institutional catering: Framework agreements for beef, pork and poultry for barracks, prisons and authority restaurants
Catering with meat component: Full-catering contracts for schools, hospitals and care homes including meat processing
Sausage and delicatessen supplies: Regular supply of kitchens with cold cuts, sausage products and processed meat products
Slaughterhouse services: Municipal slaughterhouses award operational management contracts or services around slaughtering and meat inspection
Animal by-products: Disposal and recovery of slaughter by-products (Category 1–3) under EU hygiene law

Thresholds and procedure types

Supply contracts for meat and meat products exceed the EU threshold for supplies (EUR 221,000 for central federal authorities, EUR 443,000 for other public contracting authorities, as of 2024/2025) depending on term and volume. Typical procedures are open procedures or restricted tenders with a prior call for competition.

Relevant CPV codes for NACE 10.1

CPV Code	Title	Area of application
15110000	Meat	Fresh meat, slaughter products in general
15111000	Bovine meat	Beef and veal, whole or in parts
15112000	Poultry	Chicken, turkey, duck, goose
15113000	Pork	Fresh pork
15130000	Meat products	Sausage, ham, pâtés, canned products
15131000	Preserved and prepared meats	Long-life meat products
15131130	Sausages	Bratwurst and boiled sausages for institutional catering

Current tenders with these CPV codes can be found on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily) and on national procurement platforms.

Contracting Authorities and Bidders

Public contracting authorities

The German armed forces are one of the largest single buyers of meat products in the German public sector as a central contracting authority for troop catering. In addition, municipal hospitals, care facilities and publicly run school canteens regularly procure meat and sausage products. In Austria, the Bundesheer and prisons play comparable roles. Municipal slaughterhouses — still operating in isolated cases in Germany — also tender operational services and maintenance measures.

Companies and bidders

Meat-processing businesses wishing to participate in public tenders typically have to provide the following evidence:

Food-law approval: EU approval under Regulation (EC) 853/2004 for slaughter, cutting and processing plants
HACCP plan: Evidence of a functioning Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points system
Quality certifications: IFS Food, BRC or ISO 22000 are frequently required as an eligibility criterion
Supply capacity and logistics: Cold-chain evidence, own refrigerated vehicles or certified logistics partners
Sustainability requirements: Increasingly required in EU-wide procedures: animal-welfare labels (e.g. Initiative Tierwohl), regional origin

Frequently Asked Questions about NACE 10.1 and Public Tenders

What hygiene and quality standards are required in meat-supply tenders? Public contracting authorities generally require EU-compliant food approval under Regulation (EC) 853/2004, a certified HACCP system and often recognised third-party certifications such as IFS Food or BRC Global Standard. Animal-welfare standards and origin evidence are increasingly used as award criteria.

Can small butchers and regional meat businesses participate in public tenders? Yes — under GWB Section 97(4), contracting authorities are obliged to divide contracts into lots in order to involve SMEs. Regional meat businesses can apply for territorial lots or form bidder consortia with logistics partners. Lot division by meat type (beef, pork, poultry, sausage) is common in practice.

NACE 10.1 in context: Section C and Division 10

NACE C – Manufacturing: Parent section covering all manufacturing activities
NACE 10 – Manufacture of food products: Division covering all food groups
NACE 10.2 – Processing and preserving of fish: Processing of fish and seafood
NACE 10.5 – Manufacture of dairy products: Dairy products and cheese

Last updated: April 2026 All information is provided without guarantee. For legally binding advice, please consult a law firm specialising in public procurement law.