The UK public sector has simply not got the message that purchasing local food helps support local jobs and provides better value and quality, according to the Country Land and Business Association.

Speaking at an event to mark the anniversary of the CLA's 'Just Ask' campaign in London on Wednesday (16 January) CLA president Henry Aubrey-Fletcher said the low level of local food purchased by the public sector was appalling.

"Recent research suggests that locally produced food accounts for only 2% of all the food purchased by public sector organisations.

That means that of the £1.8bn spent on food by that sector each year, only £36m goes to local, British food producers - that's a shocking statistic," he said.

Public awareness

The campaign is designed to increase public awareness of the origin of food to enable people to make an informed choice about the food they eat.

Mr Aubrey-Fletcher used this event to launch the next stage of the campaign which will include a survey of a wide range of public and private sector bodies.

The survey will seek to identify just how much various bodies, ranging from primary care trusts to football clubs, have embraced the local food agenda.

"At a time when local food issues are rising up the political agenda, it seems clear to us that more needs to be done with the major purchasers - by the government, the industry and by producers themselves.

"Before we can make recommendations, we want to establish what influences the decisions and evaluate the options - but we aim to publish the results of this survey on St George's Day (23 April) when we will be holding a series of breakfasts celebrating British produce up and down the country," he added.