Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has plans to (a) monitor progress against and (b) enforce the target that 50 per cent of the public sector food budget is spent on sustainable, organic and locally grown produce.

The Government wants the public sector to lead by example, championing healthier, sustainable food, provided by a range of suppliers. We have launched a consultation on public sector food and catering policy, including updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services This includes a proposal that the public sector reports on progress towards our aspiration that 50% of its food expenditure is on food produced locally or to higher environmental production standards. To monitor progress, the consultation will examine a proposal for new data reporting requirements to increase transparency and improve our understanding of what is bought and served in the public sector.