Caterers want more to be spent on food

Contract caterers gave a lukewarm welcome to the Government's school meals spending pledge last week.
Most said they believed the 50p-per-head figure was not enough to produce the Jamie Oliver-style revolution promised by the Government, but merely a good start.

However, while some privately questioned the Government's timing, all agreed that more money for school meals meant more business for them.

French-owned caterer Sodexho said it thought the ring-fencing of extra funds was a step in the right direction, but wanted to see more. A spokeswoman said: "We believe more money is required - at least 55p per child in primary schools and 70p at secondary level.

"We believe that this additional funding will create more opportunities for Sodexho," she added.

Scolarest, which has banished turkey twizzlers from its menus following bad publicity in Jamie Oliver's recent TV series, sought to claw back some of the moral high ground.

A spokeswoman for the Compass-owned group said: "We believe the cost should have been more realistically set between 60p and 70p per child, to reflect the new minimum standards that are to be introduced later this year."

Meanwhile Avenance said the Government's announcement was "great news", but that it was still waiting on the Government's spending pledge before entering the state sector. The 60p spending promise for secondary schools exceeds its own 55p lower limit.

Simon Pollard, national sales director for education at Avenance, said: "We are now in a position to start conversations with the secondary school market."

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 07 April 2005