'Use public money for public good!' say food campaigners

Food campaigners today criticised the Cabinet Office for proposing a 'voluntary' government scheme to improve the healthiness of food in hospitals, care homes, prisons and the armed forces, rather than adopting compulsory food standards covering nutrition and sustainability [1].

Kath Dalmeny, Policy Director of Sustain [2], said: “The public sector spends £1.8 billion on food. That money could be used to prioritise the health of hospital patients, care home residents and the armed forces, and to support environmentally-sound food businesses, farmers and thriving local economies. An optional scheme simply isn't good enough. The time has come for the government to invest public money for public good.”

“Sustain works with public sector organisations such as schools and hospitals to help them improve the healthiness and sustainability of their food,” said Rosie Blackburn, coordinator of the Good Food on the Public Plate project [3] at Sustain. “Healthy and sustainable food is possible, positive and practical. Yet at the moment, we are relying on individual enthusiastic caterers to do the right thing. Top-level government support is now needed to ensure that the very considerable public health benefits are enjoyed by everyone throughout the country. The UK government must follow the lead of the Dutch government, and several regions in Italy, which have already done promised this high-level commitment.[4]”

The Government's Cabinet Office review of food policy, published today, states that: “The public sector in England should be leading by example. More nutritious, environmentally sustainable food will be delivered through a new 'Healthier Food Mark' linked to standards for food served in the public sector.” However, the review says that the scheme will be voluntary, and there is no indication of how this will be implemented, what training will be provided, and how farmers and caterers will be supported to meet this new demand.

Sustain is calling for the UK government to build on the good work undertaken in schools over recent years, and make a statutory commitment to healthy and sustainable food in all public sector catering – schools, hospitals, care homes, prisons, government offices and service organisations such as the army and police.

Contact

Kath Dalmeny, 0203 5596 777; 07989 557982; kath@sustainweb.org

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Notes

[1] See page ii of the Executive Summary of the Cabinet Office report 'Food Matters', issued 7 July 2008: “The public sector in England should be leading by example. More nutritious, environmentally sustainable food will be delivered through a new 'Healthier Food Mark' linked to standards for food served in the public sector. The standards will help in delivering better food with existing resources. The scheme will be voluntary initially and piloted within central government, HM Prison Service and NHS services. The Government will then consider if compliance should be compulsory in England for central government and for prisons. As the scheme progresses, all public bodies in England will eventually be encouraged to sign up – ensuring a minimum standard of food across the public sector.” See: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/

[2] Sustain is the national alliance for better food and farming. It is a charity that advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity. See: www.sustainweb.org 

[3] Good Food on the Public Plate is a project sponsored by Defra and the Bridge House Trust, working with hospitals and care homes in the southeast to improve the healthiness and sustainability of the food they serve. See: https://www.sustainweb.org/page.php?id=83 – the Sustainable Food Guidelines implemented successfully by public sector caterers can be seen at: https://www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefood/

[4] The Dutch government this year made a commitment to 100% sustainable procurement by national government by 2010. This includes a commitment to organic food, Fairtrade products, reduced packaging and nutrition standards. Examples of EU developments are on the AlimenTerra website at: http://www.alimenterra.org/ and in the newsletter: www.foodlinks.org.uk/reports/Summer%202007%20Newsletter%20d.pdf.