The department of health has released a “flawed” piece of guidance to hospital food procurement managers on sustainable food, sparking tough criticism from the fresh produce industry.
The Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) immediately fired off a letter to health minister Ben Bradshaw warning that the guidance is not only flawed, but also risks a detrimental impact on the UK food supply chain and the health of the nation.
The guide, called Sustainable Food - a Guide for Hospitals, demonstrates a lack of consistency with overall government policy, confusingly promoting “local” and “seasonal” as better for the environment.
FPC ceo Nigel Jenney said: “In the face of rising obesity levels and poor diet, it is amazing that the department of health is proposing to limit patients’ choice and access to a wide variety of produce by its narrow definition of seasonality and what is sustainable.”
The FPC believes that, with 60 per cent of fresh produce being imported to the UK, a key factor in achieving 5 A DAY is the provision of a wide variety of safe, affordable produce - irrespective of its country of origin.
The consortium complained in its letter to Bradshaw that the report ignores the government’s own definition of “locally in season” in research carried out by DEFRA, which is: “Food that is outdoor grown or produced during the natural growing/production period for the country or region where it is produced. It need not necessarily be consumed locally to where it is grown. This applies to seasonal food produced both in the UK and overseas.”
The guide claims that it wishes to support local economies and therefore hospitals should source locally, but the FPC believes this strategy ignores entirely the structure of the fresh produce supply chain.
Jenney said: “Many local companies source nationally and import produce from overseas as necessary, and there appears to be no consideration of the complexities of the food chain. It is nonsensical to suggest that a local supplier should only provide fresh produce grown within the region or neighbouring county to a hospital - the majority of UK apple production is in Kent, so this would mean that most UK hospitals would not be able to enjoy this product.”
Paradoxically, the document states that hospitals must ensure they comply with EU procurement regulations when sourcing food, as specifying local foods is not allowed, making it a difficult task for any NHS trust to meet these guidelines.
The FPC also points out to the minister that the report fails to put into context the impacts of other elements of the food chain, such as meat production. “The consumption of fruit and vegetables accounts for just 2.5 per cent of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions in total,” said Jenney. “Meat and dairy production is responsible for eight per cent. By encouraging less meat procurement by hospitals, this report could have achieved far more environmental benefits.”
The guide cites food chain pressure group Sustain and the Soil Association and advocates food from farming systems that minimise harm to the environment, such as certified organic produce. Jenney said: “Yet the Food Standards Agency has stated that there is no additional health benefit to eating organic produce compared to conventionally grown produce… Considering the value and importance of NHS procurement, we cannot let this guide go unchallenged. With the introduction of the Healthier Food Mark and the proposal in this guide that the standard may be taken up beyond the NHS, we are concerned about the detrimental commercial impact on the UK supply chain and the subsequent impact on the health of the nation. We have asked the minister for health to clarify the position before this advice is accepted and disseminated more widely.”
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