Dear Ms Wheeler,

Thank you for your request for information dated 13th February 2014, received by us on the same date, which is copied below.

We will endeavour to respond to your request promptly but in any case within 20 working days i.e. on or before 13th March 2014.

If you have any queries about your request, please use the request number quoted in the subject line of this email.

Yours sincerely,

Sarah Price | IRIS Support Officer
Information Rights and Information Security (IRIS) Service | House of Commons

show quoted sections

Dear Ms Wheeler,

 

 

Freedom of Information Request F14-101

 

Thank you for your request for information as copied below.  You asked a
number of questions regarding sauces and condiments provided by the House
of Commons catering service which we have sought to answer in turn.

 

1.   How much has the House of Commons catering department spent on sauces
and condiments in the past five years broken down by year?

 

The House of Commons Catering Service has spent £52,487 on sauces and
condiments between April 2009 and February 2014. This is broken down as
follows:

 

April 09 - March April 10 - April 11 - April 12 - April 13 Grand
10 March 11 March 12 March 13 - Feb 14 Total
£11,899 £9,688 £10,342 £11,061 £9,498 £52,487

 

2.   What sauce sachets are available to consumers and have any sauces
been withdrawn?

 

The condiments listed below are currently available within our venues.  We
have withdrawn condiments over the last 5 years due to poor uptake or
where we have been able to offer a better product with the hot main
courses being served. In these cases Catering Services use the large
bottles and decant the sauce into a bowl to be served alongside the main
course.

 
 
In use;
  BROWN SAUCE HP BOTTLES
  BROWN SAUCE SACHETS
  MAYONNAISE SACHETS
  MUSTARD ENGLISH COLMANS JAR
  MUSTARD ENGLISH SACHETS
  MUSTARD FRENCH SACHETS
  SALAD CREAM HEINZ BOTTLES
  SALAD CREAM SACHETS
  TARTARE SAUCE SACHETS
  TOMATO KETCHUP HEINZ BOTTLES
  TOMATO KETCHUP SACHETS HEINZ
  VINEGAR SACHETS
 
 
Discontinued;
  BROWN SAUCE HP SACHETS  
  MAYONNAISE DIP POTS  
  MUSTARD DIJON JAR  
  MUSTARD ENGLISH SACHET COLMANS  
  SALAD CREAM HEINZ SACHETS  
  VINEGAR SACHETS MALT HEINZ  

 

3.   Has the provider of the sauce sachets changed at any point in the
past five years?

 

The provider of the sauce sachets has not changed over the last 5 years as
the supplier has successfully applied for and won the tender for these
items over this period through fair and open competition.

 

4.   Is HP sauce still available and if not who now provides the brown
sauce and for what reason was this changed?

 

Catering Services still provides HP sauce in bottles in the venues as well
as supplying brown sauce sachets. These were HP labelled but were changed
due to price and taste in 2009.

 

5.   Has there been any policies introduced to save costs on complimentary
sauce sachets for consumers in the past five years? Please give details

 

Catering Services is constantly looking at value for money for their
customers and efficiency savings in the daily running of the business. 
The sauce sachets were all reviewed in 2009 and changes were made then to
purchase the same range of sachets for all venues.  More recently with
different food offers available in the venues, sauce sachets may not
always be available as other condiments may be better suited to the food
offer available on any specific day.

 

 

You may, if dissatisfied with the handling of your request, complain to
the House of Commons.  Any such complaints should be addressed to: Freedom
of Information Officer, Department of HR and Change, House of Commons,
London SW1A 0AA or [1][House of Commons request email].  Please ensure that you
specify the nature of your complaint and any arguments or points that you
wish to make.

 

If you remain dissatisfied, you may appeal to the Information Commissioner
at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF,
[2]www.ico.gov.uk.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Sarah Price | IRIS Support Officer
Information Rights and Information Security (IRIS) Service | House of
Commons

 

 

show quoted sections