Local produce proves popular choice for schools

Shropshire County Council's school meals service has become the first local authority caterer to be awarded the Soil Association’s ‘Food for Life Silver Catering Mark’ for its use of seasonal, local and organic ingredients in primary school menus.

The move to use more of these ingredients is having a big impact on the number of children eating lunch at school across Shropshire, with take-up reaching almost 80 per cent in some schools. The move is also proving particularly popular with schools, pupils and suppliers in the south of the county.

In the past two years Shropshire County Council has awarded contracts for the supply of meat, eggs, and fruit and vegetables in the county’s schools. A new innovative approach when putting the contracts out to tender enabled small local businesses to compete against the bigger suppliers.

Ann Hartley, Shropshire County Council’s Cabinet member for children’s services, said: "We felt that if we split the area that we cover we could use smaller producers, who could bid for all or part of a contract according to their resources.

"We spent time encouraging local producers to believe that they had a chance of winning, but it worked, and we now supply first class school meals made with fresh local ingredients. The take up rate of our meals is consistently up from 47% in some schools to over 70% or 80% in others, so we know parents and children are with us.”

Andrew Francis, who runs a traditional butchery in Ludlow, has won the contract to supply meat to schools across South Shropshire. He said: “I am a former farmer and my daughter goes to one of the local schools [Bitterley Primary], so I think it's really important that our children have good food. We supply Hereford beef from a farm in Woofferton, lamb from around Knighton, free range pork slaughtered in Leintwardine…it's all traceable and quality is assured."

In the past three years Andrew's team has grown from five to eleven employees as a direct result of the new contract.

Jane Bishop, headteacher of Bitterley CE (Aided) Primary School, said: "Our cook is Cordon Bleu trained and we have achieved almost 80 per cent take up. Ofsted said our meals were the best they had seen. I know for a fact that if the children had to vote on the staff they'd most like to keep, I'd be out first and the cook last!"

Sue Mapp, school cook at Bitterley, added: “I wouldn't want to give children what I wouldn't give my own. It has taken time to get the children on board with healthy food, but now they really love the meals.

"From time to time the children get the chance to vote on their favourite menu and it nearly always includes a roast and two vegetables."

Kevin Bryant, Head of St Laurence CE Primary School in Ludlow, said: "I've never worked in a school where there has been so much feedback about school meals.

"Overall I think Shropshire's service has triumphed because regardless of party politics they have continued to support the concept of school meals. We are really privileged to benefit from their approach and in our school we already have over 60% take-up.”

Shropshire County Council’s school meals service provides meals to 162 schools in Shropshire daily, as well as providing catering services to sixth form colleges, a secondary school in Colwyn Bay, one in Telford and two independent schools.

In Worcestershire, where there is no school meals' service, Shropshire County Council supplies 35 of their schools too.

The latest to sign up is Tenbury Primary, whose new dinner regime began this term. Head Paul Jackson-Read is already impressed.

"We were blown away by their [Shropshire County Council’s school meals team] whole approach; the knowledge of their suppliers, the quality of their food and the care they take.They can tell us the breed of the animals, where they came from, where the vegetables were picked, and they are clearly interested in food and the culture of healthy eating for children. We are a small school but this is a farming community and it's vital we reflect that.

"There's always been some provision for school dinners here but we have refurbished kitchens and we want to work with Shropshire’s team to develop the whole eating experience, nutritionally and socially. No more airport trays, we are re-introducing laid tables, with tablecloths, to go with our top quality meals."

Further information

The Food for Life Partnership is a network of schools and communities across England committed to transforming food culture.

Led by the Soil Association, the Food for Life Partnership brings together the practical expertise of the Focus on Food Campaign, Garden Organic and the Health Education Trust.

10 October 2008