Welsh Liberal Democrats put local produce on the table

11.05.01am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 19th Oct 2006

Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for Brecon and Radnorshire, Kirsty Williams, has welcomed the Assembly's backing of a Welsh Liberal Democrat motion aimed at improving the quality of food consumed in Wales.

The motion, which was passed at the Assembly on Tuesday, calls on the government to develop a 'Quality of Food' strategy, which would include improving the nutritional standard of school and hospital meals and promoting the production and consumption of organic food.

Ms Williams said: "This strategy will put local produce and farmers at the heart of improving the health of the people of Wales. We want to educate people about the importance of buying healthy, locally produced food; food that supports rural economies in Wales, that is higher in vitamins and minerals and lower in toxins and pesticides.

"We want to ensure that children are fed good food at school, and are taught how to prepare healthy meals for when they have to cook for themselves. We want to ensure that patients in hospital are given high quality, nutritious meals to speed their recovery. We want to protect the environment by cutting down on food miles and encouraging people to buy local."

Notes:

The motion, which was debated and passed at the Assembly this week, obliges the Government to present a 'Quality Food' strategy by the end of the Assembly term. The full text of this, and all other, plenary debates is available from the National Assembly for Wales website (www.wales.gov.uk).