A Liberal Democrat-run council which opted for a green food menu has been slammed after confirming it has dished up imported fruit. Oxfordshire County Council has acknowledged serving fruit such as bananas and oranges from abroad at council lunches after introducing a ban on meat, dairy and eggs over climate change concerns, according to reports.
The authority has now been engulfed in a hypocrisy argument over its plant-based menu. The Countryside Alliance says the council should u-turn on its meat ban. The group’s director of external affairs, Mo Metcalf-Fisher, said: “It never made sense to ban grass-fed beef from a farm up the road, to only source fruit from South America, for example.
“British meat is vastly sustainable and the answer to cutting emissions lies with supporting and promoting our farmers and their produce, not policing what people eat.”
Speaking to The Telegraph, he added: “Oxfordshire’s leadership should right the wrongs of the past, mend their relationship with local farmers, and reverse this illogical meat ban as swiftly as possible.”
The council’s ban on meat, dairy and eggs at catered events was introduced in 2021.
It drew criticism from local farmers, including Jeremy Clarkson who has looked to promote British produce on his hit Amazon’s Prime Video show, Clarkson’s Farm, which is set in Oxfordshire.
Since 2022, the council has been implementing a county-wide strategy which aims to bring about “reduced food miles” in the area.
One Lib Dem councillor on Tuesday urged the council to assess its food policy and called for local produce to be used “to reflect the county’s rural economy and our farmers’ role in food production”.
Bethia Thomas also claimed “meals have not been sourced locally, and do not promote sustainability or wholly reflect the policies set out in the food strategy which the council endorses”, The Telegraph reported..
Council leader Liz Leffman said she has asked an authority team to “review the current arrangements for full council lunches”.
A council spokesperson told the Express: “The current supplier for our full council lunches is a local company based in Kidlington, Oxfordshire.
“While we do try to source food locally there have been occasions when food such as oranges and bananas have been sourced in local shops who in turn may source them from further afield, particularly in winter. All other fruit is British grown. We need to balance sustainability against the wish to serve councillors a balanced menu which is nutritious and healthy.
“It is important that we support our local farmers and to do everything we can to ensure that we source food as locally as possible. Officers have been asked to review the current arrangements in line with our commitment to the Oxfordshire Food Strategy and to supporting the local economy.”.
