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Berkshire,
Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire Food Group |
04 December 2008 |
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Berkshire,
Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire Food Group |
04 December 2008 |
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School dinners using local food bring benefits, but there isn’t enough for everyone |
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Local food on the menu in Oxfordshire schools can cut costs, benefit the local economy and be better for the environment too. But the chronic shortage of producers and growers in the Thames Valley, means that many schools will not be able to take advantage of the benefits of local food. A three-month trial in schools across the Thames Valley carried out by Oxford Brookes University on behalf of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes, and Oxfordshire (BBO) Food Groups revealed:
Tamara Schiopu, BBO Food Groups Co-ordinator warned that a shortfall in capacity to supply local produce would prevent local food being widely available on school menus. “There are chronic supply shortages of fruit and vegetables. The Hampshire contractors to West Berkshire were not able to find a supplier during the trial. Some catering staff regard buying from a local butcher as ‘local’ food, although the meat may have been sourced from anywhere in the world.” Jane Carlton Smith, from the Centre for Environmental Studies in the Hospitality Industry at Oxford Brookes Business School, who project managed the research, said: “ Local food has a contribution to make in improving school meals, but it is not the principal solution. There must be investment in kitchens and improved training for catering staff to help them prepare healthy meals using raw ingredients. “Many parents who responded to our survey said they did not want their children to be offered processed foods. Often people do not realize that processed foods are cheap and that they may have to pay a bit more for meals prepared from fresh raw ingredients” Following the trial’s success in Oxfordshire, County Facilities Management, which provides meals for 216 schools in the county, is training dinner ladies in six schools to create healthy meals using fresh local produce. Oxfordshire County Councillor Michael Waine, Cabinet member for Schools Improvement said: “This research proves that local food is better for our children and our budgets. I am delighted that we are extending this work into other schools across the county to benefit more children.” Four schools took part in the trial. In Oxfordshire: South Moreton School, near Didcot. In Buckinghamshire: Ladymede Preparatory School, Little Kimble, Aylesbury. In West Berkshire: St Nicolas Church of England Junior School, Newbury and Whitelands Park Primary School, Thatcham. The trial was funded by the Defra Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative. David Pryce-Jones, rural adviser at the Government Office for the South East said: “This Defra initiative is about getting more sustainable sourcing by the Public Sector – which this trial demonstrated admirably. “ The challenge now is to scale it up, bearing in mind the impact it could have with 50 million school meals served per year in the region. We’re working on several fronts to achieve this, including developing the supply side and working with purchasing authorities on the justification for sustainability in their contract specifications.” Results from the 12-week trial during spring 2005 at South Moreton School include:
The trial had mixed results elsewhere. Buckinghamshire County Council does not provide school meals, but the newly-appointed head teacher and catering manager at the independent Ladymede Preparatory School near Aylesbury were keen to get involved and reduce the amount of processed food served at the school. The trial took place over a two-month period in spring 2005. School meals are compulsory at the school, and the school held a food awareness week in April. Food miles were reduced because most of the ingredients came from local producers or suppliers. The trial has stimulated a bid for investment in kitchen equipment to enable staff to cook fresh vegetables. Schools in West Berkshire have their meals prepared by HC3S, the Hampshire-based catering contractors. During the two-week trial in March 2005, produce was supplied by Sheepdrove Farm, Lambourn and Prosperous Home Farm, Hungerford. There was a 10% increase in take up at Whitelands Park, and a 9% decrease at St. Nicolas. Food miles were greatly reduced, but the cost of meat increased by up to 126%. The project’s final report Eating Local Food in Thames Valley Schools is published on our website: click here. Ends Contact for further information, photographs and logos:
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