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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on monitoring the level of UK-produced food bought in the public sector.

Officials are developing a range of proposals to develop public sector food and catering procurement policy, to set the tone for Government ambition, as well as driving net zero, public health and animal welfare outcomes. Further information will be made available in due course.

Government is undertaking work to establish a more robust evidence base for the public sector food supply chain.  This will ensure future proposals can be closely aligned with the needs of producers, growers, food suppliers and caterers.

Mandating a local procurement target on current evidence of environmental benefit would be unlawful under WTO rules and domestic procurement obligations.

The National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) sets out the Government’s strategic priorities for public procurement alongside the Procurement Act, which came into force on 24 February. The NPPS underscores the government's commitment to increasing the procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards, supporting local suppliers and upholding ethical sourcing practises across public sector contracts, including catering contracts.