The final section of the book focuses on the procurement of sustainable school meals and local sourcing. It provides a range of useful tips on sourcing seasonal produce, improving the quality of food, reducing costs and how to cope with contracts and tenders from a number of contrasting perspectives.
Local sourcing by a school meals contractor
by Neil Stoddart, Head of Education Contract Services
This chapter describes the work done by Bradford Council’s school meals organisation Education Contract Services (ECS) over the past 2 years to obtain most of its supplies, including fruit, vegetables, multigrain bread, free-range eggs, fresh meat and fresh poultry from local sources. As a consequence, ECS has better quality school meals at no extra cost. This has been achieved by simplifying the menus, reducing the use of processed food, improving product specifications, adapting to seasonal availability and using fresh meat from local butchers. There has also been streamlining of packaging and delivery arrangements.
About Neil Stoddart
Neil is head of ECS which provide catering services to over 180 schools within the Bradford District in addition to a number of commercially operated school catering contracts in other areas. He is a strong believer in the benefits that the “whole school approach” can bring to pupils of all ages.
Local sourcing initiatives in Cheshire and Cumbria
by Jenny Morse, Northwest Food Alliance
Describes initiatives taken in the North West to encourage small local suppliers to tender for supplying food to schools.
About Jenny Morse
Jenny has been in her current post for 2 years, as Public Procurement Project Manager for the Northwest Food Alliance, the agri-food and drink cluster of the Northwest Regional Development Agency. In this role, Jenny has been engaging with public sector organisations to advise them on sustainable food procurement.
Sustainable school meals
Local and organic produce
by Robin Gourlay, Head of Service, East Ayrshire Council
Demonstrates how East Ayrshire has established an efficient and accountable service to source organic and local produce while complying with EU legislation for the exacting nutritional standards set for Scottish schools. This has been achieved by developing new relationships with local suppliers.
About Robin Gourlay
In his current role, Robin is responsible for a range of services but with a particular commitment to school meals.
He has a varied CV, having started in Hotel Management, and later becoming Client Manager for Strathclyde Regional Council where were he was the author of the largest catering contract in Western Europe.
He believes that school meals are uniquely placed to deliver a community
focused health improvement, sustainability and economic development agenda.
www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/ess/onsite/hungryforsuccess.asp
School meals in Carmarthenshire
by Elin Cullen, Head of Resources Management for Carmarthenshire County Council
Describes how the sourcing of locally produced fresh foods is contributing to improvements in public health and regeneration of the local economy.
About Elin Cullen
As head of Resources Management, Elin is responsible for over fifteen hundred members of staff and a budget of over £13m. Resources Management within the Council incorporates the School Meals Service, which produces over nineteen thousand daily meals in 145 schools.
Her ingenuity in working within restrictive EU legislation to procure fresh, local produce for the school meals service has been heard of as far a field as Italy.
Whole School Meals Ltd
A new company providing school dinners to 21 schools
by Stephanie Hayman, Director, Whole School Meals Ltd
Describes the establishment of a new company, Whole School Meals Ltd, which has successfully tendered to supply meals for schools in the Sandwich/Deal area of Kent.
75% of the shares are held by schools which will be supplied by Whole School Meals. The remaining 25% are held by the founding Directors.
This chapter includes a case study from one of the schools participating in the scheme.
About Stephanie Hayman
Stephanie is a mother of one and her son attends a local Deal primary school. Her first career was in the housing association sector. She now acts as Chief Executive Officer of Whole School Meals Ltd, in an unpaid capacity, is a self-employed workshop leader and trainer, and runs a local website, The Best of Deal and Sandwich.
www.wholeschoolmeals.co.uk
Whole School Meals Case Study - Warden House Primary School
A school’s perspective.
by Graham Stabbs, Head Teacher
Graham was educated in Stockport and moved to Kent to train as a
teacher in 1973. He has taught exclusively in Kent and he has been the Head Teacher of Warden House Primary School in Deal for five years.
Food procurement for schools
by Tully Wakeman, East Anglia Food Link
Describes the complexities involved in the purchasing of food, and provides extensive advice for schools on how to obtain good quality food from local sources.
About Tully Wakeman
In his current position with the East Anglia Food Link, Tully has been helping to create cutting-edge supply chains that can deliver quality, safe, local sustainable food to schools and other customers.
Useful websites
Assured Food Standards: www.redtractor.org.uk
Assured Produce: www.assuredproduce.co.uk
Assured British Meat: www.abm.org.uk
Assured British Pigs: www.assuredpigs.co.uk
Assured Combination Crops: www.assuredcrops.co.uk
Assured Dairy Farms: (NDFAS): www.ndfas.org.uk
Assured Chicken Production: www.assuredchicken.org.uk
