LOCALLY SOURCED SCHOOL MEALS

Early day motion 1349, tabled 5 June 2003 by Howard Stoate (Labour). Signed by 57 members.

That this House notes that schools, through the provision of school meals, have an essential role to play in educating children about healthy eating and ensuring that children have the opportunity to eat at least one nutritionally balanced meal a day and therefore calls on local education authorities in England to make a commitment to using fresh, high quality, locally sourced ingredients in the meals they provide; notes that though EU public procurement regulations prohibit explicit 'buy local' strategies, public procurement managers in Italy, France and Germany have been able to pursue what is in effect a 'buy local' strategy, whilst satisfying EU public procurement regulations, by specifying in their food procurement policies that all ingredients should, wherever possible, be fresh and in season; and further notes that a commitment to using locally sourced ingredients would create new markets for local farmers and producers and benefit the environment by reducing transport times and costs.

Signatures by party: Labour 35, Liberal Democrat 14, Plaid Cymru 3, Conservative 2, Labour/Co-operative 2, UUP 1.