Tag: Nick Smith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) incidents have been reported to trading standards teams of and (b) prosecutions have taken place for food with falsely-labelled ingredients in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison

Monitoring food businesses to ensure compliance with legislation on food labelling and composition is the responsibility of county councils, unitary authorities, the London Boroughs and some but not all metropolitan borough councils. These local authorities are also responsible for taking enforcement action, including prosecutions, where non-compliance is found.

Data is reported to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on the number of food analyses undertaken in relation to compositional issues and labelling and presentation issues; 23,599 analyses were undertaken in 2014/15, 16,899 for compositional issues and 6,700 for labelling and presentation issues.

Data is also reported to the FSA on the total number of prosecutions concluded for food standards issues. This includes action in relation to composition, labelling and presentation but also for other issues such as chemical contamination. In 2014/15, 75 United Kingdom food establishments were subject to prosecution.

The FSA has recently established a central register of successful food law prosecutions. Data collected for the first year of operation of the register is not yet complete, but in future it will provide more definitive data on prosecutions for offences of this nature.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proportion of dairy products procured for his Department was sourced from British producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr David Lidington

For the financial year 2015/6, 84% of dairy products (by value) procured as part of the UK contracted catering service in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office were sourced from British producers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much is spent from the public purse on food procured for (a) his Department and (b) the Prime Minister’s Office; and what proportion of food procured for each was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Matthew Hancock

Information on expenditure on food is not held separately to overall expenditure on catering, hospitality and subsistence, which is normally sold with no subsidy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of dairy products procured for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne

The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of dairy products procured for her Department was sourced from British producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Karen Bradley

We estimate that at least 90% of dairy products procured across the Home Office estate is sourced from British producers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-23.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department’s offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Harriett Baldwin

The Treasury does not procure food directly for the Department. The catering facilities are provided by an external company engaged by the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) management company. The catering contract is run on a nil subsidy and therefore is of no cost to the Department. The catering provider is obligated to follow the cross government requirements of sourcing its produce under Red Tractor guidelines.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the annual budget was for food procured for his Department in each of the last three years; and what proportion of such food was sourced from British producers in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne

The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of dairy products procured for her Department was sourced from British producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID do not purchase dairy products directly. However the Departments catering service provider procures 100% of their dairy produce from British sources.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department’s offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Mr Mark Francois

The Department for Communities and Local Government does not have an annual food budget. Catering services are provided via a contract with Interserve Plc, and is operated on a nil subsidy basis.

Annual spend is determined by the contractor and is informed by private sales to members of staff.

Approximately 34% of products across all food and drink categories were sourced from British producers as at March 2016.This proportion reflects that a large volume of food and drink sold includes non-indigenous products such as rice, pasta, tea, coffee and bananas, and that as this period falls in the Winter season there are out of UK seasonal products procured from the wider EU.

The proportion also reflects consumer trends, and the commercial contractor’s pursuit of value for money given the nil subsidy arrangement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of dairy products procured for her Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

George Eustice

Catering services in Defra are provided under a contract which covers the core Department, several of its network bodies and the Department for Energy and Climate Change. The cost of meals served is not subsidised, and spending on food is determined by the contractor based on sales receipts from customers. During the latest period for which figures are available (Jan-Mar 2016) 93% of dairy products sourced under the contract came from UK producers. The remaining 7% is principally accounted for by spending on non-UK cheese used in several popular dishes.