The government spent £5,848,320, excluding VAT, on catering materials in the 2025/26 financial year, according to a Treasury answer to a written Tynwald question, as reported by Energy FM.
The question came from Douglas East MHK Andy Saunders, who asked about annual food procurement spend and how much went to Manx suppliers or involved Manx-origin food.
Treasury Minister Michael Crowe said the Treasury does not buy food for departments directly, but manages the government’s accounting system, where the spend is recorded under “Materials – Catering”. The figure excludes the Isle of Man Post Office and Manx Utilities, which are not covered by that system.
Mr Crowe said the total is likely to include some non-food items, such as packaging and cleaning materials, which are not recorded separately.
The breakdown, as reported by Energy FM:
- Isle of Man suppliers: 83.1% (£4.862m)
- Non-Isle of Man suppliers: 3.1% (£178,713)
- “Other”: 13.8% (£807,908)
Mr Crowe said the “other” category mainly covers purchases made on government purchase cards, which are not paid through the supplier ledger.
He said the system does not record the country of origin of individual items, so the Treasury could not give a percentage for Manx-origin foodstuffs.
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