Public Sector Sustainable Food Procurement Initiative - Fewer Miles, Fresher Food South Moreton School, Didcot
Case Study: South Moreton School, DidcotRegion: South East (Oxfordshire)
Organisation: Primary School
Description
South Moreton School has 138 pupils, aged from 5 to 11. Meals are provided by County Facilities Management (CFM), who cater for 216 schools throughout Oxfordshire. CFM chose South Moreton for a local food pilot project because the school had expressed an interest in introducing a locally sourced menu and has a skilled Catering Supervisor and assistant in post. The kitchen facilities, although in need of an update, were considered to be adequate for the preparation of raw fresh ingredients.
Food was sourced by CFM from a local farm shop and a local butcher, 6 and 2 ½ miles away respectively. HACCP risk assessments were carried out at both premises. Three months after the trial began, meal uptake had increased by 17%, almost all the children liked the food and food miles had been reduced by 102 (69%) per week. Food costs reduced by 20%. Stock control improved as the fresh meat (replacing frozen) was delivered more frequently. CFM is now in discussion with six other schools to replicate the trial.
Benefits
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Meal uptake has increased from 41% to 48% of pupil roll and the children have been heard saying that the vegetables and fruit taste better.
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The cook appreciates the opportunity to use her skills to prepare fresh rather than frozen meat; Though quality has improved, food costs have reduced from 56 pence to an average of 45 pence per head, 5p below the average for the County.
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The local economy has benefited directly by £1535, which, according to a recent study*, may be worth as much as £2,700 to the local economy, when the suppliers' own local spending is taken into account.
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As a byproduct of increasing the opportunities for local suppliers to tender weekly food miles have been reduced by 69% from 148 to 46, i.e. taking into account return trips from the farm shop and butcher, replacing the previous trips from the wholesaler and distribution company. Meats supplied by the butcher came from Oxfordshire and Wiltshire and seasonal fruit and vegetables were grown locally, apart from the lettuce (from Leicestershire). The origin of supplies that previously came from the wholesalers is not easily traceable.
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The flexibility in deliveries and no minimum drop value has been a factor in managing food costs better and thrice weekly delivery of fresh meat means that quantities required each day can be estimated more accurately and there is less wastage.
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The project stimulated a healthy eating week in school, during which children learned about fresh, healthy foods, food miles, healthy lunch boxes, seasonality and fair trade. The week ended with an exhibition and tasting session for parents.
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The project has supported the production of a Directory for School Caterers for the three Thames Valley counties, listing local producers who are willing and able to supply schools.
Lessons learned during implementation
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The parents' survey showed that parents' top priorities were healthy (low in fat, salt and sugar) and unprocessed food, though they afforded considerable importance to local and organic foods when shopping and in school meals. The majority of respondents considered that the meals were nutritious and healthy, however a substantial majority (80%) said they would pay at least £0.10 more for local food in school meals and 77% would pay at least £0.10 more for organic food. 27% of respondents said they would pay up to 25p more for both types of food.
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A pragmatic approach is needed when dealing with small suppliers. HACCP audits were carried out, risk assessments were made and a view was taken as to whether all the documentation requested was required before proceeding with the supply contract. Small businesses cannot necessarily "tick all the boxes" in a full audit, usually because they cannot produce all the documentation. For high-risk foods such as meat, the auditor must assess the risk and proceed accordingly.
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Many small local food businesses are unwilling or unable to service contracts put out to tender by public bodies or their contract caterers. Either they cannot meet the price specification or the other requirements, such as delivery schedules for schools, are too onerous. A questionnaire sent out to 870 NFU members in the Thames Valley offering free listing in a Directory for School Caterers, elicited a response from 34 farmers, of which only 22 were positive. CFM staff visited a farmers' market and used a producers' directory provided by the Oxfordshire Food Group to identify local businesses. They had no response to the fresh fruit and vegetables invitation to a contract that was being tendered for the county and had to re-tender.
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There are chronic supply shortages in some parts of the country, for example Oxfordshire is very short of horticultural produce. The local supplier for fruit/vegetables, although able to provide some of the produce from its own farm, had to make up supply shortfalls from other sources, including London markets.
Future developments
The success of the project has opened up an opportunity to develop new products, specifically for Oxfordshire schools, in partnership with a local meat producer. CFM are in discussion with six more schools in Oxfordshire, for whom local suppliers have been identified, and would like to provide some locally sourced food to all schools in Oxfordshire; however there are some problems to overcome. Many schools no longer have kitchens and meals are delivered by taxi.
There is much work to do on helping local producers (individually or collectively) to access the supply chain at third tier level so that they can compete in public sector tenders. Some contract caterers have announced that they will no longer compete in the schools sector and there may be scope for expansion and replication of the model illustrated by this project.
* www.neweconomics.org/gen/news_buyinglocalworth400percentmore.aspx
Further information
Jane Carlton Smith 01865 483894 or jcarlton-smith@brookes.ac.uk
Centre for Environmental Studies in the Hospitality Industry (www.business.brookes.ac.uk/research/ceshi/index.html)
Oxford Brookes University Business School
Tamara Schiopu 01865 484116 or
localfood@brookes.ac.uk
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Food Groups (www.local-food.net)
Oxford Brookes University Planning Department
Page published: 18 July 2005