Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it his policy to increase the price of unhealthy food to subsidise healthier foods.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have a comprehensive strategy to improve diets, and to make the healthier choice the easier choice. The Government’s measures with regards to healthy food are focused on consumer behaviour and providing a safety net to those families who need it the most.
Between 2015 and 2020, we have reduced the sugar content of soft drinks by 46% through the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, and our voluntary sugar reduction programme has reduced sugar in breakfast cereals by 14.9%. We are also supporting families from low-income households to eat a healthier diet by investing in the Healthy Start scheme, and our School Fruit and Vegetables Scheme has provided nearly 415 million portions of produce to approximately 2.2 million pupils in 2023/24.
From October 2025, we will be introducing an online and television watershed to restrict advertising of unhealthy food and drink, as well as restrictions on the promotion of less healthy foods by volume price, restricting offers such as three for two, both in store and online.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve economic ties between the UK and Argentina.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have a growing economic and trading relationship with Argentina. Bilateral trade surpassed £2 billion in 2023 and there are over 120 UK subsidiaries operating in Argentina across various sectors including food and drink, agricultural technology, financial services and transport. The Foreign Secretary had a productive meeting with President Milei at the World Economic Forum in January and with Foreign Minister Mondino at the G20 in February. We continue to work with the Milei administration to deepen our economic relationship in areas of mutual interest, taking advantage of opportunities to increase bilateral trade and investment.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what data her Department holds on trends in the volume of British food exports to Asia over the last five years; and what steps her Department is taking to help support growth in that sector.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade offers Export Support Service, online guidance via the GREAT.gov.uk platform, the Export Academy programme, UK Export Finance and a network of trade advisers across England, the nations and overseas, to support businesses to maximise their exports.The department also provides a compelling programme of support for food exporters to connect with buyers through tradeshows and missions; for example, the upcoming UK Pavilion at Thaifex-Anuga, Bangkok (28 May - 1 June).
The department holds data provided by HMRC on food exports (see below).
HMRC: UK exports of Food, Feed & Drink (FFD)
VOLUME
Year | All UK exports | Exports to Asia (Million tonnes) | Proportion exported to Asia |
2019 | 15.3 | 1.50 | 10% |
2020 | 13.5 | 1.37 | 10% |
2021 | 11.0 | 1.30 | 12% |
2022 | 12.5 | 1.35 | 11% |
2023 | 11.9 | 1.16 | 10% |
VALUE
Year | All UK exports | Exports to Asia (£ billion) | Proportion exported to Asia |
2019 | 23.7 | 3.9 | 16% |
2020 | 21.7 | 3.4 | 16% |
2021 | 20.3 | 3.7 | 18% |
2022 | 24.9 | 4.7 | 19% |
2023 | 24.4 | 4.6 | 19% |
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to her Department's publication of spending over £500 using a government procurement card from October to December 2023 on 17 May 2024, for what purpose payments totalling £3,417 were made to Mons Hospitality between 22 November and 9 December 2023.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We can confirm that the only information we hold regarding the purpose of these payments to Mons Hospitality over the timeframe stated is related to the provision of food and drink/catering at COP28
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's policy is on the procurement of (a) food and (b) drinks produced in Britain for use in its canteens and restaurants.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government Property Agency (GPA) is responsible for the procurement of food and drink for canteens and restaurants in a number of government buildings across Britain, including Defra buildings.
Contractually, all suppliers appointed by GPA are required to comply with the Government Buying Standards, owned by Defra.
The relevant part of the standards is local and environmentally sustainable sourcing.
Wherever possible, food sourcing should prioritise locally produced food and food produced to higher environmental production standards. Contracting authorities and/or tier 1 suppliers should aim for at least 50% of food spend to be on locally produced food or food certified to higher environmental production standards. Progress towards this target must be reported annually.
This contractual provision will be monitored as part of the governance and report requirements of GPA's new contracts.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's policy is on the procurement of (a) food and (b) drinks produced in Britain for use in its canteens and restaurants.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) requires all external suppliers who provide food / drink goods or services across the MOJ estate to adhere by the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBS).
The GBS can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainable-procurement-the-gbs-for-food-and-catering-services/government-buying-standard-for-food-and-catering-services.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department's policy is on the procurement of (a) food and (b) drinks produced in Britain for use in its canteens and restaurants.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government Property Agency (GPA) is responsible for the procurement of food and drink for canteens and restaurants in a number of government buildings across Britain, including Cabinet Office buildings.
Contractually, all suppliers appointed by GPA are required to comply with the Government Buying Standards, owned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
The relevant part of the standards is local and environmentally sustainable sourcing.
Wherever possible, contracting authorities and/or tier 1 suppliers should aim for at least 50% of food spending to be on locally produced food or food certified to higher environmental production standards. Progress towards this target must be reported annually.
This contractual provision will be monitored as part of the governance and report requirements of GPA's new contracts.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on the procurement of (a) food and (b) drinks produced in Britain for use in its canteens and restaurants.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The DWP’s FM supplier has investigated the sourcing of food and drink in its canteens and restaurants. They confirm that all food and drink has to meet the Government Buying Standards, as well as their catering sub-contractor’s (Compass) own non-negotiable standards that have to be met in relation to animal welfare and quality assurance.
In order to achieve this, Compass have a set of strict food sourcing standards that their suppliers have to adhere to. These are split up between:
• Dairy and eggs
• Fruit and Veg
• Animal Products
• Fish and Seafood
• Meat sourcing
• Grocery and Savoury
For instance, for dairy liquid milk they state it must be from British Origin and red tractor assurance. All our eggs are cage free (liquid and shell). All shell eggs are from the UK.
Compass have set the net zero target of 2030, so have banned air freight in their business.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his Department's policy is on the procurement of (a) food and (b) drinks produced in Britain for use in its canteens and restaurants.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
DLUHC is a minor tenant in the majority of its offices, and as such does not directly procure food and drink for the canteens and restaurants in our offices. However, all food provided in our catering outlets is produced to UK standards and is local and in season, where possible. Food is sourced from farming systems that minimise harm to the environment, such as produce certified by LEAF, the Soil Association or Marine Stewardship Council. Fairly traded and ethically sourced products are also offered.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her Department's policy is on the procurement of (a) food and (b) drinks produced in Britain for use in its canteens and restaurants.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS does not own any canteens or restaurants. The canteen facilities we use are provided by our landlords, and we have no involvement in the provision of food and drink to those facilities. For our London headquarters, this is overseen by the Government Property Agency.