The UK Seafood Federation has welcomed a new DEFRA-backed push to improve how public bodies in England buy food, saying it could help put more British seafood on the menus of schools, hospitals and other services. According to the government, selected local authorities will receive grant funding to test better procurement practices in a market worth nearly £5 billion a year, with ministers framing the initiative as a way to support public health, local enterprise and a more resilient food system.

Dan Aherne, chief executive of Woocheen Group, which includes New England Seafoods Limited, said the Federation saw an opportunity to raise seafood consumption while helping councils make choices that meet NHS dietary guidance. He said the organisation’s members were ready to support public sector buyers with sourcing British seafood and building menus that balance cost, nutrition and environmental considerations.

The announcement also fits a wider policy effort to use public procurement as a lever for economic and health outcomes. By focusing on local and sustainable sourcing, DEFRA is signalling that food buying decisions made by councils and public institutions can have consequences far beyond the canteen, shaping supply chains, supporting domestic producers and influencing what millions of people eat each day.