Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of food served in English prisons is (a) organic, and (b) locally sourced; and what plans they have, if any, to increase that percentage.

Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) purchase food commodities for prisoner and staff meals from a national food contract currently held by Bidfood UK.

HMPPS does not require its supplier to provide figures relating to the percentage of organic and locally produced products provided to prisons through this contract. However, the contract was one of the first to adopt and implement the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)’s Plan for Public Procurement: Food & Catering. Regular scrutiny and reporting of the contract shows that the level of UK sourced commodities purchased is 52% (Country of Origin) and the level of small and medium sized enterprises (SME) provision is over 60%. Bidfood UK are committed to increasing the percentage of UK sourced products.