Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to put the Government’s target for 50% of public procurement for food to be locally sourced on a statutory footing.

We are committed to opening up public sector supply chains to a wider range of companies, particularly small and medium-sized (SME) businesses, including farmers. Increasing the diversity of supply will better support local economies, increase resilience, and encourage food producers to innovate. We are considering the policy options available to deliver these aims. Any future policies will be informed by the review of the provenance of food sourced by the public sector, announced recently.