Oral Answers to Questions

Sarah Dyke Excerpts

Monday 14th September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Powell]

I am really happy to meet the hon. Lady to discuss this, because our creative arts universities, such as the one in her constituency, provide fantastic qualifications for young people to get the jobs they need.

[Sarah Dyke (Glastonbury and Somerton) (LD)]

T3. Although I welcome the changes to school food standards, Government buying standards for food still do not mandate local or British sourcing, leaving farmers in Glastonbury and Somerton locked out of supplying local schools. My good food Bill would fix this by requiring public bodies to prioritise the procurement of fresh, local, sustainably sourced food, so will the Minister commit to strengthening Government buying standards and back my good food Bill so that schools can buy produce from local farmers?

[Lucy Powell]

Absolutely; where schools and local caterers can, we absolutely want them to buy local. This is an important part of sustainability. We have tried to get the balance right with these food standards so that they are deliverable by schools and affordable, they are not putting up the costs of school meals, but they are providing tasty, healthier meals that ideally are locally sourced.