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David Miliband MP, former Secretary of State for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (left) visits Devon earlier this year as a guest of the Country Landowners Association. He is pictured with Ben Bradshaw, MP for Exeter (right) and David Fursdon, president of the CLA, on the edge of the Fursdon Estate near Exeter Picture: Theo Moye/Apex

FROM Cornish pasties to Devonshire cream teas, it can sometimes seem that every hotel, B and B and restaurant in the South West is using local produce to attract the passing tourist, writes CLA president David Fursdon.

But what about the meal you have with colleagues in the staff canteen, the sandwich you grab from the train buffet cart or the quick snack on campus between lectures? Is the packaging labelled to tell you where it comes from? Does the menu detail the region in which it is grown? Do you ever stop to ask?

The CLA "Just Ask" campaign, launched earlier in this, our Centenary year, is designed to get the public to do just that.

The more that people ask waiters, chefs and food providers where the food has come from, the more food will be labelled accordingly. We also know that, if the consumer shows a preference for local food, businesses are certain to provide it. We want food to be sourced locally not only because it supports farmers and rural businesses, but because it guarantees high quality, fresh produce for the consumer. So in an area renowned for its produce - how much ends up on your plate?

As I found out when I "just asked" a selection of organisations and businesses in Devon, local sourcing and labelling of produce can be somewhat hit and miss. The Met office serves locally produced fruit, vegetables, cakes, juices and cheeses in its staff restaurant and even uses some appropriately labelled local produce for conferencing.

The Met Office is to be commended for its efforts, but perhaps it could still do more by using locally sourced milk, meat or poultry - the staple industries of farming in the South West - in its dishes. First Great Western also support local farmers; a wide variety of identifiable local produce is served in their Pullman Restaurant, but is the same true of their newly established Brasserie, the Express Café or the buffet car? Their menus promise Westcountry sausages, English muffins and cheddar cheese, but as a train company carrying one and a half million passengers every week through countryside which is maintained by farming; is this enough?

Change is happening too in areas where it is perhaps the most difficult to source locally. The council, schools and hospitals are introducing local produce to their meals, but again there is some way to go. Devon County Council for example report with pride that a minimum of 40% per cent of their food is sourced locally and are working towards a target of 70 per cent. In doing so they must also concede that up to 60 per cent of the produce they serve comes from across the UK or abroad. While the produce they use for their hospitality catering is labelled, the same isn't true for other services such as school meals. At a time when 22 per cent of adults are unaware that bacon and sausages originate from farms, labelling produce for school children could be the first step to educating them about the food they eat. The Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust advise that more than 80 per cent of their produce comes from local suppliers. However they are unable to say whether it is locally grown because it is not labelled. Indeed, they feel that stating where food has come from on packaging could confuse those they are trying to encourage to eat healthily.

I believe if people start thinking about where their food comes from and show a preference for fresh local produce over processed food they could achieve a far healthier diet.

Of course there are obstacles to sourcing and labelling local produce. Using a national contractor, for example, can in some cases restrict control and hinder policies to buy locally. The University of Exeter use national food service distributors for much of their everyday catering and do not make an obvious point of labelling produce. Likewise Britannia Royal Naval College at Dartmouth and the other two Services use a nominated supplier to economise on their defence budget and, therefore, cannot express a preference for local food.

Is this good enough? It doesn't have to be the case though - Devon and Cornwall Constabulary report that they use around 60 per cent local produce at the HQ canteen, despite using national contractors to supply their food. European Procurement Regulations can also make things difficult.

As Devon County Council report the requirement that you do not discriminate on the basis of the nationality of the supplier or the origin of the goods or services, is making it tricky for them to reach their target of 70 per cent. With a bit of creative thinking, however, this might be got around, by specifying requirements that have a similar effect such as protected designation of origin or geographical indication, freshness, seasonal produce or short delivery times. The important point is that whatever specification is used, it is capable of being justified on an objective basis independently of the benefits it will bring to local producers.

The CLA recognise the achievements of these organisations and the difficulties involved, but we believe most of these organisations could do better. We also recognise the opportunities that exist for both the farmers and food providers if more local food can be utilised. That is why the CLA are lobbying the Government to simplify the rules so that local food can be sourced more easily. As we have seen it is often not the organisations themselves but regulations or ties with a national contractor that prohibit the use of local produce to any great degree.

In addition we are talking to food service companies to try and get better and more detailed labelling on their produce and we are asking the Government for mandatory country of origin labelling for beef. After all, it is only by ensuring that services such as the NHS procure food that is labelled, that they will ever be able to convey this message to the consumer.

However, it is only with the help of the consumer that we can bring about real change. It is vital that people know the origin of the food they eat. That's the whole point of the campaign. If you don't ask, you don't know what you are getting! So, next time you are out for a meal, join us and "Just Ask."

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