Scottish Government spend on food: FOI release
- Published
- 20 January 2025
- Directorate
- Corporate Transformation Directorate
- Topic
- Money and tax, Public sector
- FOI reference
- FOI/202400441739
- Date received
- 20 November 2024
- Date responded
- 18 December 2024
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002
Information requested
1. How much does the Scottish Government spend on food each year? Please provide data for each year since 2015 (calendar if possible, otherwise financial year).
2. A breakdown of the volume of food purchased by the Scottish Government (e.g. 700lbs beef, 12,000lbs potatoes etc.). Please provide data for each year since 2015 (calendar if possible, otherwise financial year).
3. By year, from 2015 (calendar if possible, otherwise financial) expense on and volume purchased of the following foods: a. Gravy b. Haggis c. Swede d. Potatoes e. Turkey f. Duck g. Pidgeon h. Christmas pudding i. Christmas cake j. Red cabbage k. Brussel sprouts l. Yorkshire pudding m. Carrots n. Milk o. Cookies p. Pigs in blankets q. Cranberry sauce r. Mince pies s. Stuffing t. Sausage meat.
Response
1. How much does the Scottish Government spend on food each year. Please provide data for each year since 2015 (calendar if possible, otherwise financial year).
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. The reason we do not have the information is due to a new catering contractor being appointed in August 2022 on the back of competitive tender for the services and Scottish Government not holding the information in the form you have requested prior to the incumbent contractor being appointed. We have provided the spend on food each financial year with our current catering provider, Baxter Storey.
Date |
Amount £ |
Sept 2022 - March 2023 |
£506,020.00 |
April 2023 - March 2024 |
£862,897.00 |
April 2024 - Nov 2024 |
£577,269.00 |
2. A breakdown of the volume of food purchased by the Scottish Government (e.g. 700lbs beef, 12,000lbs potatoes etc.). Please provide data for each year since 2015 (calendar if possible, otherwise financial year).
3. By year, from 2015 (calendar if possible, otherwise financial) expense on and volume purchased of the following foods: a. Gravy b. Haggis c. Swede d. Potatoes e. Turkey f. Duck g. Pidgeon h. Christmas pudding i. Christmas cake j. Red cabbage k. Brussel sprouts l. Yorkshire pudding m. Carrots n. Milk o. Cookies p. Pigs in blankets q. Cranberry sauce r. Mince pies s. Stuffing t. Sausage meat.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested in question 2 and question 3. We do not hold the information in the form you have requested as the contractor does not hold or breakdown the food spend to this level. In this instance the cost of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600. The contractor would need to retrieve each supplier invoice per order, per location to produce this information which is why this request exceeds the upper cost limit. Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12.
You may, however, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner's 'Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs' on his website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
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