Poor eating areas cited as marketing obstacle

Delegates at a LACA conference workshop looking at the marketing of school meals were told they were trying to sell food in prefabs and sports halls when customers were used to environments such as McDonald's.

"How can we project a plausible, quality image selling like this?" asked one delegate.

The process of compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) was another reason given for the poor marketing environment for school meals.

"A lot of DSOs would willingly put money into the tender for improvements to the eating areas, but the process [CCT] prevents it because we have to win on the lowest bid price," another delegate complained.

Yet, there was the admission that caterers should be doing more themselves to make buying school meals more customer-friendly.

"We have a system in many schools where if you haven't paid a week's dinner money before 9am on a Monday, you don't get lunch that week. That can't be right," declared a delegate.