Support local suppliers, minister tells caterers
Schools, hospitals and prisons must not use EU trade laws to avoid operating sustainable purchasing policies and supporting small and local food producers.
This was the key message from food and farming minister Lord Whitty at the first National Public Sector Sustainable Food Procurement Conference in London last week.
Under EU law, public tenders cannot specify that food must be from a local or British producer, but Whitty said: "It's no use hiding behind EU procurement rules when we ask you to give local and small producers a fair crack of the whip. Frankly, this is too frequent an excuse.
"If some schools and hospitals can provide highly nutritious, fresh and locally sourced food with organic options, why can't more? Without breaching the EU framework, there is plenty of scope for public sector bodies to pursue sustainable purchasing objectives."
The public sector buys less British food than supermarkets, said Whitty. This was because small producers found it difficult to break into public contracts, and purchasers tended to buy the cheapest available food without considering the wider criterion of "value for money". Considering quality as well as cost meant purchasers could set requirements such as frequency of delivery, freshness, taste, energy efficiency and waste minimisation that would favour small and local producers without breaching EU law, he said.
The direct benefits of healthier food included shorter recovery times for hospital patients, more alert schoolchildren, fewer antisocial prisoners and a reduction of food-related illness, which cost the NHS £4b a year, he said.
Whitty admitted local authorities, schools and hospitals faced "short-term transitional problems" when making changes, particularly as no extra cash was available to help.
He stressed that, in the long term, sustainable procurement would not cost more. "The net effect on public expenditure ought to be broadly cost-neutral, with savings in some areas offsetting increases elsewhere."
He pointed to Thomas Fairchild Primary School in Hackney, London, as an example of good practice. Since it had switched to East Anglian suppliers of fresh instead of frozen food, take-up of meals had increased, staff absenteeism had fallen and costs had been contained.
Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative
A total of £1.8b of taxpayers' money is spent on public sector food each year. The Government sees reform as an important way of improving health and supporting UK farmers and food producers.
The initiative was launched in August this year and has the following objectives:
Increase tenders from small and local producers.
Increase demand for food that causes less damage to the environment.
Increase demand for healthy food.
Increase demand for assured products.
Remove barriers to supply.
Increase the demand for organic food.
Improve the choice for ethnic minorities.
Reduce waste and energy use.
Ensure better working conditions for catering staff.
Improve data collection and measurement of performance.
(For further information visit www.sustainablefoodprocurement.org)
Case studies
Cornish hospitals
The NHS in Cornwall has a target to increase local food consumed by hospital patients from its current level of 40% to 60% by 2006.
In a partnership, five NHS trusts covering the whole county have joined forces in a £2.5m project to build a central food production unit to serve 21 hospitals, scheduled for completion in 2006. Half of the money comes from European Union Objective One funds.
Mike Pearson, catering services manager at the Royal Cornwall hospital, told delegates that his hospital had switched from some national contracts after patients and visitors complained about having to eat sandwiches made in Rotherham and ice-cream that turned into "pouring sauce".
He said the switch to more nutritious food had led to a reduction in the use of dietary supplements. Meat, fruit, vegetables, ice-cream, cheese and milk are all sourced locally.
Pearson urged farmers and producers to form co-operatives and devolve management down the supply chain. "Give responsibility to one meat company that can supply, and buy in from others. Co-ops are the way forward - one bill, one invoice, one delivery," he said.
Compass
Sarah Gray of catering giant Compass Group told delegates that the firm has an action plan on local sourcing but does not have a target to increase the amount of food it sources from small and local producers. At present, 20% of its wholesale food comes from local suppliers.
Gray used the example of Compass's contract with Snitterfield Fruit Farm in Warwickshire to supply apple juice, jam, bakery products and soft fruits to Moto motorway service areas. Originally, the farm supplied three Moto sites but has now become a national supplier.
Gray defended the charge that Snitterfield could no longer be classified as a "local" supplier. She said that 80% of apples consumed in the UK were from abroad, so, in this context, local meant domestic.
