The Fresh Produce Consortium is pushing government for urgent clarification on its public procurement policy in the wake of DEFRA suggestions that a government buying standard is set to be introduced.

Before parliament went into summer recess, DEFRA secretary of state Caroline Spelman worried importers with her statement that she wanted to encourage public procurement to “choose food which is local”. Since then DEFRA undersecretary Lord Henley has responded to FPC concerns and raised some further issues. He said: “The position that we are taking is not one of restricting imports of food - this is about quality not origin. We are determined to see that, whilst operating within its EU and international trade obligations, the public sector does not act in a way that actively favours lower food production standards than our own.

“This is reflected in our commitment that central Government and eventually the whole public sector should, subject to no overall increase in costs, procure food that meets British or equivalent standards. This should not impact on importers of non-indigenous foods or food brought in fresh outside the British growing season and it certainly should not threaten those companies supplying the best qu.ality food which will have been produced to equivalent standards.”

He added that DEFRA and the office of government commerce will be developing options for a government buying standard (GBS) for food. “This would be mandatory for central government and encouraged across the wider public sector and its purpose is to improve both sustainability and nutritional aspects of food in the public sector,” said Henley.

A spokeswoman for the consortium said it was important to be clear FPC is seeking further clarification regarding DEFRA’s statement regarding “best quality foods” and “British or equivalent standards” in particular in relation to GlobalGAP standards. She said: “We shall also be asking for more details regarding proposals to introduce a GBS for food. There is a reference to a consultation to come on the GBS, but we want to make sure that imports are not put at a disadvantage, and to be clear where GlobalGAP sits in this.”