Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Jonathan Shaw)
My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs promised the House of Commons on 8 March 2007, Official Report, column 1651 in answer to a parliamentary question to commission:

“work to determine the proportion of publicly procured food which is British”

and place the information in the Library of the House 

“by late autumn 2007 or sooner”.

I have today deposited copies of the report giving the proportion of UK produce supplied to Government Departments and also supplied to prisons and  hospitals under contracts negotiated by HM Prison Service and NHS Supply Chain. A copy of the report is also on the PSFPI website at:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/index.htm.

DEFRA has also published on the PSFPI website the report of an Ipsos MORI survey conducted in the schools sector during the period March to July 2007 that covered 81 local authorities and 255 schools. Commissioned to gauge awareness of the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI) in schools and local authorities, the report also contains answers to questions on the proportion of tenders from small and local producers. This information was made known to MPs in a written parliamentary answer of 17 October 2007, Official Report, column 1074W.