Schools caterer wins healthy eating accolade

Education Contract Services (ECS) of Bradford became the first local authority school meals provider to receive a Caroline Walker Trust award last month.

The accolade is given to individuals or organisations whose promotion of nutrition and good food has improved public health. Previous winners have included scientists, supermarkets, and community projects.

Judges said that ECS had developed a proactive "whole school approach" to healthy eating at 200 schools across the North of England.

Its initiatives include ECS employees teaching pupils about fruit and vegetables, promoting regular water drinking by installing fountains and giving out top-up bottles, and using healthy eating rewards schemes. Under a points scheme, pupils accrue points to get free swimming sessions or sports equipment.

Roger Sheard, business development manager at ECS, said: "It's interesting that only now is the Government considering new constraints and guidelines on food-related promotions to children. Our guidelines were self-imposed some 20 years ago."

ECS also teaches food hygiene and baking, works with the School Committee on Food, school councils, and parent groups to provide tasting sessions, and is active in efforts to localize the food supply chain.

Martin Carahar, trustee and chairman of the judges, said: "ECS has contradicted the air of negativity surrounding the school meal sector buy producing consistent, relevant, and successful initiatives that really have gone some way to improving public health through food."

ECS has been successful in winning business outside its local authority area. It has 10 contracts at schools in Cumbria, Northumberland, and West Yorkshire, and has an annual turnover of £17m.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 11-17 December 2003