To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2009, Official Report, column 486W, on departmental catering, which ethically traded products the defence food services integrated project team has introduced; and if he will make a statement. (254100)

Ethically traded products purchased by defence food services integrated project team, which is responsible for the procurement of food for the armed services on operations and on exercises overseas, are set out in the following list:

90 per cent. of tea and coffee from fair trade sources

100 per cent. of pork from British sources

100 per cent. of milk from British sources

100 per cent. of eggs from British sources

100 per cent. of whole gammons from British sources

100 per cent. of fish from managed sources

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2009, Official Report, column 486W, on departmental catering, what recommendations the Sustainability Working Group has made on the procurement of Fairtrade goods for use in (a) his Department's London headquarters and (b) the military establishment; and if he will make a statement. (254101)

The Sustainability Working Group was established within the Defence Food Service Integrated Project Team (DFS IPT) to identify opportunities to extend sustainable procurement of food for the armed services on operations and on exercises overseas. The procurement of catering for MOD's London headquarters and for all military establishments is therefore outside the scope of the Working Group.

Where, however, the DFS IPT identifies Fairtrade products that meet MOD quality requirements and offer value for money, they may be listed on the core range of products supplied for operational feeding to UK armed forces personnel "in barracks" not covered by the Pay As You Dine programme.

Catering in MOD's London headquarters is provided as part of a multi-activity contract. An extensive range of Fairtrade products is available that includes all coffee served in the deli bar, coffee bar and in the vending machines. A range of other Fairtrade beverages, fruit juices, snack bars and cakes is also available.

For those military establishments where catering is provided through the Pay As You Dine programme, or as part of a multi-activity contract, the catering contractor may choose to offer Fairtrade products as part of his strategy, although the requirement does not specify that he must. There are a wide variety of such contracts in place across the Department and information on Fairtrade products on offer is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.