Whitehall's egg and bacon divide

100% of eggs used by government departments are British, Defra says.

All eggs and almost all milk served up in government departments in England are British - but it is not the same story for bacon, new figures show.

Gordon Brown declared last month that "British bacon is best" - but a report shows the Cabinet Office does not buy any British bacon for No 10 staff.

Farming minister Jane Kennedy said the government was on a drive to source more produce from UK producers.

But the Conservatives said much more could still be be done.

Seasonal eating

Use of British food increased in the national offender management service, MoD and in the NHS, where 70% is domestically sourced, the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) report said.

The proportion of food from domestic sources served by the NHS supply chain, which provides around half the food served in the health service, had increased from 50% over the past year.

It says the amount of British produce in the Ministry of Defence food procurement, which covers around half the food served to military personnel, was up from 43% to 59% and the national offender management service had an increase from 37% to 49%.

BRITISH FOOD, MINISTER? Defence ministry UP to 59% DCMS UP to 90% NHS UP to 70% DFID DOWN to 55% DCSF DOWN to 50% Foreign Office DOWN to 65% DEFRA figures, changes since 2007

However there was a decline in British-sourced food used in the Foreign Office, down from 87% to 65%, Department for International Development, down from 66% to 55% and Department for Children, Schools and Families, down from 75% to 50%.

Overall, the average proportion of food grown or reared in Britain used by government departments was up from 64% in 2006/7 to 66% in 2007/8.

The government has been seeking to monitor where the £2bn public procurement of food and catering accounts is spent in England.

Ms Kennedy said: "If you eat an egg in a hospital, government canteen or army barracks in Britain, that egg will be British, and the milk in your tea will almost certainly be British, which is the result of the government's drive to buy more local produce and support local businesses."

She argued the report showed the government was taking action to create "a level playing field" for local food producers and suppliers.

This opens the door to vast amounts of public money being spent on food that would be illegal to produce in this country Peter Ainsworth Shadow environment minister

However shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth believes government departments are shunning home-grown produce and missing an enormous opportunity to stimulate the rural economy.

He is disappointed that "not one rasher of bacon" and only 15% of chicken and 19% of lamb served to the UK armed forces by the Ministry of Defence is British.

And he said he was unhappy that three-quarters of all lamb, fish, apples and pears served by the NHS supply chain were sourced abroad.

Mr Ainsworth said: "In such difficult economic times the government should be doing whatever it can to help British farmers, support small businesses and protect jobs."

He added: "Less than half of all government departments and agencies currently demand farm assurance standards, under which the vast majority of British food is produced.

"This opens the door to vast amounts of public money being spent on food that would be illegal to produce in this country."

The Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative was launched in August 2003 by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The DEFRA report examined the period from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008.

At prime minister's questions last month, Labour MP Ian Cawsey called on Gordon Brown to ensure the government procured more bacon and pork from British pig farmers, asking: "Will he ensure that procurement supports British farmers? If the government do not stand up for them, why should anybody else?"

Mr Brown replied: "I thank my honourable friend for campaigning on behalf of that industry. Everybody knows that British bacon is best."