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Hospitals: Pigmeat

Volume 486: debated on Tuesday 20 January 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of pork served in hospitals in (a) East Devon constituency, (b) the South West and (c) England was locally sourced in the last five years. (247562)

The recently published Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative report by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for 2007-08 estimated that 99 per cent. of the pork sourced from the national health service Supply Chain's contracts was British and, within this, 47 per cent. of bacon sourced by NHS Supply Chain, was British. NHS Supply Chain calculate that approximately 75 per cent. of trusts purchase from their meat and poultry contract.

NHS trusts do not have to purchase from this central contract. They are able to award their own contracts and information about these contracts is not held centrally. To get accurate, up to date information from particular NHS regions or trusts, the hon. Member may wish to contact them direct.