Public Sector Procurement of Food

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 18 Jun 2020 Closed: 24 Nov 2021 Parliament page
In 2014, Defra published “ A Plan for Public Procurement ,” which showed that in 2010, the UK public sector spent over £2.4 billion annually on procuring food for beneficiaries including schools, hospitals, prisons, government agencies, and care homes. The Plan outlined new standards and guidelines for food procurement by … Read more
7 Recommendations
1 Conclusion
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
4 Events
Activity timeline 6 events
5 Jul
2021
Report published
21 Apr
2021
Report published
3 Mar
2021
Formal meeting (private meeting) · Virtual meeting
12 Jan
2021
Oral evidence
1 Dec
2020
Oral evidence
10 Nov
2020
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
12 Jan 2021
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Ananda Guha · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Simon James · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Victoria Prentis · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
1 Dec 2020
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Andy Jeffery · Farringtons Greg Parsons · South West Food Hub Howard Stevenson · Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation Jason Swettenham · Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service Kirstin Morris · National Health Service (Supply Chain)
10 Nov 2020
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Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
David Bowles · RSPCA Rob Percival · Soil Association Ruth Westcott · Sustain
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Sixth Report - Public Sector Procurement of Food HC 469 21 Apr 2021 8 Response document linked
Recommendations & Conclusions
8 results
1 Recommendation
Sixth Report - Public Sector Procu…
It is essential that the Government sets buying standards for public procurement of food in...
It is essential that the Government sets buying standards for public procurement of food in order to achieve value for money and ensure that high quality food, produced to high standards, is served by public bodies. However, standards are only … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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2 Recommendation
Sixth Report - Public Sector Procu…
The Government should make adherence to the GBSF mandatory for the public sector in England.
The Government should make adherence to the GBSF mandatory for the public sector in England. We are supportive of proposals that the balanced scorecard should also be mandatory across the public sector, particularly for the NHS in England, but we … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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3 Recommendation
Sixth Report - Public Sector Procu…
There is no reason for the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering (GBSF) to...
There is no reason for the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering (GBSF) to contain exemptions to meeting food production and animal welfare standards set in legislation on the basis of cost. There are suspicions that public bodies procuring … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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4 Recommendation
Sixth Report - Public Sector Procu…
The GBSF are outdated; in some areas such as animal welfare the baseline standards are...
The GBSF are outdated; in some areas such as animal welfare the baseline standards are lower than the industry norm. In other areas, such as how to meet net zero emission targets, they lag behind current Government ambitions. The Government … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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5 Recommendation
Sixth Report - Public Sector Procu…
The Government has associated leaving the EU with the opportunity to encourage the public sector...
The Government has associated leaving the EU with the opportunity to encourage the public sector to “buy British” and reduce environmental costs. It is, however, clear that even under EU rules, the UK already had opportunities to support British suppliers … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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6 Recommendation
Sixth Report - Public Sector Procu…
The Government intends to support more sustainable land management and food production through provisions under...
The Government intends to support more sustainable land management and food production through provisions under the Agriculture Act 2020. It is therefore providing financial support for farmers who can demonstrate that they are producing food in ways that benefit the … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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7 Conclusion
Sixth Report - Public Sector Procu…
SMEs have long faced difficulties in accessing public procurement opportunities.
SMEs have long faced difficulties in accessing public procurement opportunities. There has been some progress since Defra’s 2014 Plan, but it has been slow. The pilot run by Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) using the Dynamic Purchasing System … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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8 Recommendation
Sixth Report - Public Sector Procu…
However, the south west pilot has been delayed because of the need to redeploy Government...
However, the south west pilot has been delayed because of the need to redeploy Government resources to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. While this delay is understandable, there is a risk that the pilot may fail before it has even … Read more
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
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