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Food: Public Sector

Asked by James McMurdockIndependentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 13 January 2025UIN 22546

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what percentage of British produce is being brought in (a) hospitals, (b) army bases and (c) prisons.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner

This data was not collected at any point by the last Government. However, the new Government wants to fix the unequal playing field for British farmers attempting to bid into the £5 billion spent each year on public sector catering contracts. As a first step, we are committed to working with industry to create a baseline, then monitor the food currently bought in the public sector and where it is bought from, as announced at the Oxford Farming Conference this week so we can ensure future support to enter this important supply chain, which would need to be consistent with our domestic and international legal obligations, is effective.

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