Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of food purchased through the NHS Supply Chain is classified as Nova Group 4; and what plans he has to incentivise NHS Trusts to move toward minimally processed alternatives.

Data is currently not collected centrally on National Health Service food purchases which would identify NOVA Group four foods.

The United Kingdom’s national food model is the Eatwell Guide. The principles of the Eatwell Guide underpin the Government’s Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF), which help to ensure public sector food is procured to higher sustainability and nutritional standards. The GBSF include mandatory nutrition standards intended to reduce the intake of salt, sugar, and saturated fat, and to increase consumption of fruit, vegetables, fish, and fibre. They also include standards that limit the availability and portion size of soft drinks, confectionery, and savoury snacks.

Hospitals, the Government, and their agencies are required to apply the GBSF, with other public sector settings also encouraged to follow.

NHS England’s National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink (2022) state that all NHS trusts are expected to follow the published NHS National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink. This document makes clear that organisations must implement the GBSF minimum mandatory standards for healthier and more sustainable retail, staff, and visitor food and drink.

The document recommends that NHS trusts should prioritise healthier, seasonal, and locally sourced food and adopt more environmentally sustainable menus that use:

- fewer processed foods high in sugar, salt, and fats;

- a wide variety of protein sources including beans, pulses, nuts, and soya; and

- a choice of seasonal, locally sourced fruits and vegetables.

The standards can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-standards-for-healthcare-food-and-drink/