BBC lands in hot water over canteen ‘coffee bias’

THE BBC is usually proud of its impartiality. But now it has found itself at the centre of a bizarre bias row – over coffee.

A senior producer complained to colleagues by email that staff buying canteen coffee were offered loyalty cards that earned free cups, but the scheme did not extend to other hot drinks.

Last night, Ruaridh Arrow said his email had been ‘tongue in cheek, but with a serious purpose’. He claimed his intervention had forced the canteen management

to ‘roll over pretty quickly’ and allow discounts for all hot drinks.

Mr Arrow’s complaint followed a move from BBC2’s Newsnight in London to an investigations role for BBC Wales in Cardiff, where he discovered the anomaly.

Last night the BBC said its catering facilities were run by private contractors and that the loyalty scheme was the responsibility of Groundhouse, the coffee brand of the Servest Food company. Groundhouse could not be reached for comment.