Departmental Food

Tim Farron
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the (a) meat, (b) fruit and (c) vegetables procured by his Department in the last 12 months was produced in the UK.

Mr. Woolas
A second report on the proportion of domestically produced food used by Government Departments and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and HM Prison Service was published in November 2008, covering the year from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008. This report and the first one covering the previous year can be found at:

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

The report gives details of the proportion of individual meat, fruit and vegetable categories purchased.

Although it is too early to show a trend, the report indicates that the amount of domestically produced food consumed by Government Departments in England is increasing. The proportion of domestically produced food procured by the Home Office has gone up from 68 per cent. in 2006-07 to 70 per cent. in 2007-08. We expect to publish a third report at the end of 2009.