§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee what ethical and environmental policies are in place in respect of the purchasing of food by the Refreshment Department. [49860]
§ Mr. Dennis TurnerIn the purchasing of food, the Refreshment Department not only considers the price being offered, but also takes into account criteria such as the quality and wholesomeness of the produce available, food safety issues and consumer confidence; the latter requires the Department's procurement officer to be aware of ethical and environmental issues relating to the food chain and to advise the Department's management in order that customer confidence can be maintained at all times.
The Refreshment Department maintains purchasing guidelines which include the following food-related issues:
- 1. animal husbandry and, in particular, the procurement of fresh meat and poultry only from sources approved under an accredited 'farm assurance' scheme;
- 2. the purchase of 'dolphin friendly' tinned and fresh tuna;
- 3. the purchase of free-range eggs only;
- 4. the purchase of coffee which has been accredited by the Fairtrade Foundation;
- 5. to support the aims of the Lomé Convention, specifically with reference to the purchase of Caribbean bananas and cane sugar;
- 6. to encourage food suppliers to minimise the use of packaging materials and wherever practicable, to use packaging manufactured from recycled materials;
- 7. to maximise the recycling of food packaging, disposable products, glass, plastics, cans and waste oils;
407 - 8. to maintain close contacts with organisations such as Freedom Foods, the Soil Association, the Fairtrade Foundation and others who operate schemes promoting the availability and quality of ethical or environmentally-friendly foods; in particular, to work with and encourage such organisations to extend their schemes into the catering food supply chain;
- 9. to avoid, wherever identifiable, the procurement of foods which contain genetically modified organisms.