School meals and local produce

Shropshire Council's Shire Services has been singled out as a 'Beacon of Excellence' for the way that it sources local produce for school meals across the region. It has become the first local authority caterer to be awarded the Food for Life Silver Catering Mark by the Soil Association for using seasonal, local and organic ingredients in its primary school menus.

A creative and innovative approach when putting food contracts for suppliers out to tender, enables small local businesses to compete against the giants. Splitting the area means that smaller producers can bid for all or part of a contract according to their resources. Modifying specific criteria, and encouraging local producers to consider the proposals has resulted in first class school meals made with fresh local ingredients.

New contracts include two local butchers, two local fruit and vegetable suppliers, a link with an organic milk producer and a contract with Belton cheese of Whitchurch. As a bonus these new contracts have started something of a revival in traditional eating.

Schools, pupils and parents can now be supplied with information regarding the suppliers, the quality of food, the breed of the animals, where they come from, where the vegetables are picked and the culture of healthy eating in general.

In Worcestershire, family run fruit and vegetable wholesalers W.H. Grinnalls, in Stourport on Severn, won over half of the overall fruit and vegetable contract under the new policy. Grinnals is an established local business and sources as much as possible from local farms. Produce is therefore, is seasonal, fresh and travels much less.

The other half of the greengrocery contract for Shropshire has gone to Chesters Choice in Wem.

As well as securing jobs in local areas, the school meals service has made an overall saving of 11% in the first year on fruit and vegetables, quality has improved, as has efficiency in the supply chain, and there's less waste and more flexibility.

Andrew Francis is a traditional butcher in Ludlow, now supplying the schools meals service for all of South Shropshire. They source Hereford beef from a farm in Woofferton, lamb from around Knighton and free range pork slaughtered in Leintwardine, all of which is traceable and quality is assured.

In response to local concerns over battery chickens, a contract has also recently been awarded for free range eggs within the county.

The groundbreaking work being undertaken in the West Midlands, to open up public sector contracts, is part of the overall Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative, which is seeking to re-establish and improve the links the public sector and producers. Working with a range of public sector organisations, including the NHS, Local Authorities, Prison Service, MoD and other partners they are hoping to make the links still stronger and more effective.

School cooks, headeachers, staff and pupils have all noticed the improvement and although it has taken time to get the children on board with healthy food, now they really love the meals and in some schools the catering service is achieving almost 80% take up.

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