Andy Burnham wants British food to supply all of the catering across schools, hospitals and prisons under plans to make farming more profitable.
Burnham, expected to be Prime Minister next week, set out the proposals during a discussion with Labour MPs on Monday evening, where they asked how he plans to support rural and coastal communities.
He said public sector procurement could play a role in backing British agriculture and revealed he was considering creating a Minister for Coastal Communities during a question and answer session with Labour MPs.
It comes after the former Mayor of Greater Manchester outlined plans to develop his idea of ‘Manchesterism’, with regional devolution, renationalisation of some public services and close relationships with local businesses, in his first major policy speech last month.
Overhaul on school food standards
But questions have been raised over whether the Manchester blueprint could be transitioned to rural and coastal areas, which have different issues around infrastructure, demographics and local economies. And some MPs have been worried a focus on the north of England could leave other areas of the country neglected.
A Burnham spokesperson said he wants to use the “power of public procurement to fully back British farmers and producers”, and that coastal towns and communities should “have a proper voice at the top of government under his leadership”.
“That is part of the circuit breaker he is offering: power out of Westminster and into communities, an economy rewired for ordinary people, and good growth in every postcode,” they added.
Burnham’s proposal for supporting rural areas builds on current plans for a national overhaul to school food standards, with plans to limit food and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar and introduce more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains.
A consultation was launched earlier this year on changing nutritional requirements for school meals for the first time in a decade.
In its 2024 general election manifesto, Labour committed to setting a target for “half of all foodpurchased across the public sector to be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards”.
‘Change is essential’
A new Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is urging Burnham to deliver the manifesto promise, which it claims will deliver £1bn a year to British farmers while also strengthening rural communities and improving food security.
Last year, NHS England commissioned the Soil Association to help 20 hospital trusts to get Food for Life Served Here (FFLSH) certification, meaning they must meet standards for sustainability, animal welfare and nutrition.
The programme was also intended to gather evidence linked to the proposed Government Buying Standards for Food, including insights on suppliers and higher environmental production standards.
Burnham criticised the UK public procurement for “chasing cut-price deals around the world rather than helping our own British-based suppliers become more stable and competitive” during his first policy speech.
Burnham told Labour MPs and journalists at the People’s History Museum in Manchester during the speech in June that the UK must “safeguard sovereign manufacturing and production capability across the country in critical sectors like steel, defence, energy, food and farming”.
“This change is essential given the need to build our own resilience in places across the country in an increasingly uncertain world,” he added.
His comments on supplying schools, hospitals and prisons came after Polly Billington, the MP for East Thanet, in Kent, and Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, the MP for Suffolk Coastal, asked how Labour would support their local economies during his session with Labour MPs.
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