The Rt Hon Jim Paice, MP
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affaires
Nobel House
17, Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR

20 December 2010

Dear Jim,

Government Buying Standards

I am writing to you on behalf of a number of my constituents who want the food eaten by our school children and hospital patients to be as healthy and sustainable as possible. Improving public health and reducing our impact on the environment through better diets is an important issue to many people in my constituency of Brighton Pavilion.

I was proud to support the honourable Member for Stoke-on-Trent North's Private Member's Bill, which would have given every public body the tools and support they need to help them serve food that is much healthier and much less damaging to the environment. I was dismayed that rather than engaging in a debate on this Bill, or on the Sustainable Livestock Bill which proceeded it on the order paper, Conservative members chose to talk them out.

My constituents want your reassurance that the current consultation on Government Buying Standards will not only apply to central Government, but that the standards it develops will be extended to cover all public procurement. I also urge you to ensure that these rules set a challenging, high standard, and not the bare minimum - both Compass, the biggest caterer in the world, and Sodexo, who serve a million meals a day in the UK, believe that a clear set of mandatory national standards would allow them to deliver better food with no additional cost.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion