DEFRA’s Caroline Spelman has been told to “stop clowning around with food standards” and “catch up with Ronald McDonald”.
In Parliament, shadow food and farming minister Huw Irranca-Davies MP said: “Mr Speaker, a key way to support British food production and high food standards is through public procurement.
“Yet DWP [Department for Work and Pensions] are sourcing only 11 per cent of food from UK producers, DEFRA is failing on its own policy of sourcing sustainable fish, and her new ethical standards for food served in public institutions are ridiculed in a report for being even weaker than those at McDonald’s.”
He said to Spelman: “Will the Secretary of State stop clowning around with food standards and UK food production jobs, and at least - please - try to catch up with Ronald McDonald”.
Irranca-Davies was referring to Sustain Web’s dishing out failing food standards report that showed the environmental and ethical standard of food served at McDonald’s is either higher or equivalent to government standards.
Irranca-Davies highlighted that government standards regarding eggs, coffee and milk were lower than those at McDonalds.
The document also notes that the standard for seasonal food was unable to be used for comparison because the government’s definition of seasonality is not recognised by retailers and food service providers.
However, the government buying standards guidelines stipulate no obligation for the government to buy British. Instead it is demanded that fruit and vegetables must be produced and supplied during the natural growing season in the country or region where they are grown.
The government also only requires one main ingredient on the menu to be seasonal and promoted as seasonal at any one time and just 10 per cent of food and drink bought must be produced to organic or LEAF Marque standard or equivalent.
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