Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Paragraph: 18
The Government should make adherence to the GBSF mandatory for the public sector in England.
Recommendation
The Government should make adherence to the GBSF mandatory for the public sector in England. We are supportive of proposals that the balanced scorecard should also be mandatory across the public sector, particularly for the NHS in England, but we have concerns that this may have adverse impacts on smaller suppliers who may not be able to afford the accreditation and certification required. Defra must gather evidence from Government departments and their suppliers on the effectiveness and impact of the balanced scorecard since 2014 and review whether to make the balanced scorecard mandatory. At the very least, the balanced scorecard needs to be better promoted by the Government.
Paragraph Reference:
18
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
Compliance with the GBSF and the use of the balanced scorecard methodology are already mandatory for all Central Government Departments and their Executive Agencies. This includes meals for Government canteens, public prisons and the armed forces. The Government is working to align food policies for different sectors, including in NHS England hospitals where the GBSF is an embedded requirement within the Hospital Food Standards. We appreciate that a whole-system approach is required for standards to be embedded in public sector contracts. This includes easy to understand guidance, transparency in reporting and an ethos of food being central to the public body’s work and sustainability commitments. As we consult on an update to the GBSF we will therefore raise awareness of the standards and increase the usability of the document. This will include reviewing whether the Balanced Scorecard approach has been effective and should be incorporated into the GBSF to simplify the guidance for procurers and providers.