Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on a single buyer agreement for public sector food; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of such an agreement on (a) regional wholesalers and (b) small and medium-sized enterprises in Wales.

The Crown Commercial Service, on behalf of the Cabinet Office, continues to work alongside the national food industry, including the Federation of Wholesale Distributors, to make sure that suppliers’ concerns are being factored into the development of the agreement.

We regularly engage with colleagues from the devolved nations, including customers and suppliers across Wales, on their commercial requirements and how we can support them.

SMEs and wholesalers are crucial to the food supply chain and have been consulted as part of supplier engagement. These stakeholders have been from across the whole of the UK. The UK Government always seeks to work constructively with devolved administrations, including the Welsh Government, and feedback from this process shaped the procurement strategy for the framework agreement.

The UK Government has made important changes to ensure SME producers across the country will have increased opportunities to work with the public sector. Furthermore, customers will be able to request nominated local products (subject to the local supplier/producer meeting the minimum technical standards). These products would be consolidated into a single delivery with their food order.

Lastly, this will be the first procurement for CCS in the food market, which will actually bring additional choice to public sector food buyers.