This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Fresh food plea to schools and hospitals
25/05/2004
Public purchasers, including schools and hospitals, have
been urged to follow new Executive guidelines on buying
fresh, seasonal and quality assured produce when awarding
food or catering contracts.
The Minister for Finance and Public Services launched
the new food procurement guidelines while attending a
national public procurement conference in Glasgow. He also
encouraged public bodies across Scotland to continue and
expand their use of e-procurement, as a means of delivering
real savings. Mr Kerr said:
"Today's conference underlines the key role that those
involved in public procurement play in delivering
excellent, efficient and value for money public
services.
"The e-procurement Scotland programme, established by
the Executive in partnership with local government and
others, is delivering real savings, and is one good example
of what can be achieved by public bodies working together
and learning from shared experiences to deliver real added
value."
The Sustainable Food and Catering Procurement Guidelines
were launched by Mr Kerr at the "Delivering Change"
conference.
The guidelines encourage public bodies, such as schools
and hospitals, to ensure that suppliers meet appropriate
farm assurance standards, and that they promote local,
fresh and seasonal produce of high nutritional quality.
This should ensure Scottish producers get a fair chance of
competing for public contracts and, that organic and fair
trade products are prioritised.
Announcing the new guidelines while attending the
conference Mr Kerr said:
"These new guidelines contain important information that
will not only help promote healthy food and drink choices,
but should also help raise standards of food for our school
children, our elderly and our hospital patients.
"Major supermarkets now insist that their meat comes
from quality assurance scheme suppliers so there is no
reason why our schools, hospital and other public bodies
should not make the same demands.
"Scottish public purchasers and caterers spend an
estimated #200 million on food annually. If all purchasers
adhere to these guidelines and insist that suppliers
operate in accordance with recognised assurance schemes,
this will act as a hugely powerful incentive across the
industry."
The guidance is designed to help buyers and caterers in
Scottish Executive departments and agencies, as well as in
NDPBs across Scotland.
Ross Finnie, Minister for the Environment and Rural
Development, also welcomed publication of the guidelines.
He added:
"Scotland's primary food producers and processors have a
key role to play in sustaining our rural communities and
protecting the environment.
"The Executive is keen to promote the adoption of
quality assurance schemes since they help raise standards
of farming practice and animal husbandry and also help
ensure that producers minimise their environmental
impact.
"Purchasers and caterers can also help play a part in
supporting Scotland's food and farming industries by
actively seeking high quality, fresh, seasonal and
traditional produce which Scottish suppliers are well
placed to provide."
The Scottish Procurement Conference was organised by the
Executive in partnership with Business Information
Publications Ltd.
Further information on the e-procurement Scotland
programme is available from
www.eprocurementscotland.com
The Executive will review the sustainable food
guidelines within a year or so in the light of experience
and to take account of further developments.