Whitehall must source more British food

Nick Herbert has pledged that, if the Conservatives are elected in to Government, they will require all central government departments to ensure the food they serve meets British standards of production.

The Shadow Environment Secretary Nick Herbert said there is a clear role for the Government to lead by example to boost sustainable food sourcing in the UK.

Every year the public sector spends over £2 billion on food - but not a single rasher of bacon served to our Armed Forces is British and the Treasury buys barely half of its food from Britain.

In future, all Whitehall departments will be required to procure food that meets British standards of production, as indicated by the official ‘Red Tractor’ scheme, wherever this can be achieved without increasing overall costs.Nick said that Labour's failure to back local produce is "shameful", and added:"We’re taking this action because we care about local food and we care about the countryside."