LACA launches Charter Mark for school meals
By David Shrimpton
The Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA) is attempting to drive up the quality of school dinners by developing a Charter Mark to be awarded to caterers serving appetising and healthy food.
LACA's vice chairman, John Davis, said criteria for the award were still being worked out, but they were likely to include offering a varied menu choice, having demonstrable quality standards and providing nutritious food.
Attainment of the Charter Mark may also be based on caterers' involvement with food committees or School Nutrition Action Groups (SNAGs), which involve caterers, teachers, parents and pupils.
LACA's move comes only a week after a report from contractor Gardner Merchant revealed that just 12% of schools currently run food committees.
Mr Davis said he hoped that in future local authorities would take attainment of the Charter Mark into account when awarding contracts.
"People are very conscious that something needs to happen to ensure that the quality of school meals is improved," he said. "The inevitable consequence of compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) has been that some of the school catering operations are not very clever."
The proposed Charter Mark, likely to be launched this autumn, was welcomed by private contractors working in the school meals sector.
Jim Walker, chief executive of BCS (formerly BET Catering), said the introduction of a recognised, industry-wide standard was an "excellent idea". Most clients were already taking quality into account when awarding contracts, he added.
But Mr Walker admitted that cost considerations were often the most important for awarding authorities. "Unfortunately they are forced under CCT to look at the lowest price," he said.
Barbara Copland, marketing director of Castle View Services (formerly CCG Services), welcomed the proposed quality standard but she too cautioned that it would have to allow for the varying contractual demands of different local authorities.
