Welsh Government becomes first to secure sustainable fish buying for public sector

It is the first time that a purchasing organisation managing public sector buying country-wide has committed to protect our precious fish stocks by serving only sustainable fish.

NPS [1] manages food purchasing on behalf of local authorities, hospitals, universities, colleges, blue light services and Welsh Government. NPS was set up to ensure that public sector organisations across Wales get the best value for money for the products they require across our public services, by purchasing once for Wales.

Sue Moffatt, Commercial Director Welsh Government and Director National Procurement Service, said ‘Our core aim is ensure that the food we purchase for our public sector organisations in Wales is of great quality, is safe and legal, sustainable and value for money. Wales is blessed with a large number of high quality Welsh producers who we are keen to work with and develop as our new food contracts go live. It is important that we create sustainable supply chains across all areas of food to ensure that the people of Wales have as wide a range of food available to them both now and in the future. By signing up to the Sustainable Fish Cities Pledge, it is a big step towards tackling this crucial environmental issue, whilst still offering the people of Wales a plentiful supply of sustainable Fish.’

The Sustainable Fish Cities pledge means that all new NPS food contracts will work towards the sourcing of sustainable fish. Over time, sustainable fish will become a requirement for all fish purchased by the NPS. It is the largest commitment yet in a campaign to create Sustainable Fish Cities, in which food-serving organisations and people make a concerted effort to help our oceans by serving and supporting sustainable fish [2]. The project was initiated by Food Cardiff, an award winning partnership that includes Cardiff Council, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Public Health Wales, which aims to give everyone access to healthy, sustainable and affordable food [3].

The pledge has been welcomed as one of the first major examples of the Well-being of Future Generations Act [4] being put into practice. The pledge will ensure that the fish bought by public bodies supports the protection of our precious marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of fisher people and their communities.

Lesley Griffiths AM, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, said ‘The Well-being of Future Generations Act set out clear plans for putting long-term sustainability at the heart of Cabinet decision making. Using our purchasing power to support a sustainable future for our oceans is a hugely important step – it will encourage and reward lower-impact fishing methods, and help to ensure that future generations can enjoy the benefits of eating fish.’

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For more information about Sustainable Fish Cities and how to get involved, contact: Ruth Westcott, Sustain, 0203 5596 777, ruth@sustainweb.org
http://www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity/
@FishCities

 

For more information about Food Cardiff, contact: Katie Palmer, Sustainable Food Cities Coordinator, Public Health Wales, Cardiff & Vale Public Health Team, Whitchurch Hospital Park Road, Cardiff, CF14 7XB, 02920 336214, katie.palmer2@wales.nhs.uk
www.foodcardiff.com
@fairfoodcardiff

 

Notes
 

[1] The National Procurement Service (NPS) for Wales was set up to enable the Welsh public sector to collaborate more closely in procuring goods and services. The NPS brings together public sector purchasing power of over £1bn, representing 20% to 30% of the Welsh annual expenditure in common and repetitive spend. Over 73 organisations in Wales have signed up to be part of the initiative and include all local authorities, the NHS, Welsh Government and Welsh Government Sponsored bodies, the Police and Fire services and Higher and Further Education. The body was initially set up with funds from Welsh Government but will be self-funding in three years http://nps.gov.wales/?lang=en

[2] Sustainable Fish Cities is a campaign organised by an alliance of not-for-profit organisations, sustainable catering advisors and marine conservation specialists. Members of the Sustainable Fish City working group include Marine Conservation Society (MCS), the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Pisces Responsible Fish Restaurants and Seafood Choices (a project of SeaWeb). Sustainable Fish City is coordinated by Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming, see: www.sustainablefishcity.net.
In Wales, a number of influential and high profile institutions have already signed up, including City of Cardiff Council, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff University, NHS Wales Shared Services, WRAP Cymru and the University of South Wales.

[3] Food Cardiff comprises several organisations including Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Public Health Wales, Cardiff University, Cardiff Council and WRAP Cymru. It is part of the Sustainable Food Cities network, which aims to support partners in a local area to transform their food culture. For more information see foodcardiff.com

[4] The Well-being of Future Generations Act in Wales was launched in 2015 and places a duty on public bodies to support sustainable use of natural resources, healthy ecosystems, and economic resilience in all their activities.