Call for better value school food

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The armed forces, schools and the NHS could cut their food bills by £220m if they were better at doing deals, MPs have reported.

The Commons public accounts committee said that while many parts of the public sector used the same suppliers, there was no common purchasing plan.

The MPs argued that meant some were paying up to £1.10 for a loaf of bread, while others spent 32p.

Ministers insist councils are getting the "best deals" for taxpayers.

'Improved value'

The committee's chairman, Conservative Edward Leigh, said that while there had been a drive to improve standards for school meals, that should not necessarily make them more expensive.

"Better, more co-operative ways of procuring food can achieve improved value for the public sector while also benefiting local economies.

"And negotiations with major contract caterers should be much more hard-headed, especially over the hidden rebates and discounts which those caterers can achieve but too often fail to pass on to the public sector," he said.

If the government acted on the committee's recommendations, Mr Leigh said cost-savings of £220m "could be applied to raising the standard of public sector food and catering services".

But Children's Minister Parmjit Dhanda said there were already procedures in place to get good deals on school food.

"We actively encourage sustainable procurement of school food", he said.

"We are working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to increase the capacity of small and local producers to supply fruit, vegetable, dairy and meat for school meals, and encourage more farmers and growers to work together to supply schools with sustainable, fresh produce."