Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Kamall on 24 January (HL Deb, col 5) where he stated that they are "looking at how we change diets in schools and across the public sector", how that work is being conducted; in which department it is being conducted; with what deadlines; and when the (1) recommendations, and (2) implementation, are expected.

In early 2022, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will lead on a consultation on proposed changes to public sector food procurement policy, including the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF). The consultation will seek views on promoting local, sustainable, healthier food in the public sector, opening public sector procurement to a wider range of businesses and increasing the transparency of food supply chains. Specific dates for the recommendations of this consultation and their implementation will be announced in due course.

On 15 July 2021, the nutrition standards in the GBSF were updated to reflect the latest scientific nutritional evidence. On 18 August 2021, the Government Buying Standards for food and catering services: nutrition standards: Technical guidance was published to provide catering establishments with practical advice to implement the GBSF standards. A copy of the guidance is attached. We recognise that catering establishments will need to plan menus to include products that meet the revised guidelines. There will be an implementation period of 12 months to ensure compliance, with an extension of three years for the Reducing Salt standard and the sandwich component of the Reducing Saturated Fat Standard.