Central region MSP Graham Simpson has hit out at North Lanarkshire Council after figures have shown that hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent on importing frozen food for school meals from across the globe.
A recent FOI from the council has shown that schools in North Lanarkshire have spent over £200,000 on chicken from Thailand. Carrots have also been imported from Serbia and prawns from Canada.
Graham Simpson MSP said “I understand that it is sometimes necessary to import ingredients for cooking, but it is beyond belief that our schools are importing chicken from the other side of the world when we should be supporting local farmers who are more than capable of producing quality, and not to mention fresher, produce.
I have written to the Council to ask if they will be seeking to procure more of their ingredients locally in the future.”