Sustainweb
Home  >  Good Food on the Public Plate  >  Nuggets: Good Food on the Public Plate newsletter   >  2008 updates 
Good Food on the Public Plate
Food in the Public Sector News 2008

March 2008

Welcome to this, the latest edition round up of public sector sustainable food / procurement related stories compiled by the Good Food on the Public Plate project.

The project is funded by DEFRA and the City Bridge Trust and aims to increase the amount of sustainable food in public sector hospitals and care/nursing homes in London and the South East. The project is set to close at the end of March 2008 but we hope to find more funding to continue our public procurement work, including compiling this update.

Therefore, if you have a story you’d like added to the next edition please forward it to rosie@sustainweb.org.
If anyone else you know would like to go on the mailing list please sign up via
http://www.sustainweb.org/page.php?id=88

To find out more about the project visit  http://www.gfpp.org.uk/ or call Rosie at Sustain 0207 837 1228.


Contents

Camden reports the progress of the toolkit for buying Food Sustainably

The London Borough of Camden is proud to report that the sustainable procurement toolkit launched on 14th June at the Better Food for London event is proving a success. 

Designed to improve the sustainability of the meals on wheels service and to increase tendering opportunities for small and local food producers, this initiative is part of the Sustainable Procurement project funded by the London Centre of Excellence (LCE) and was developed with support from Sustain, the Government Office for London and procurement officers from several local authorities. 

Food consumption has long been identified as having more impact on climate change than any other daily activity and it is estimated that local authorities in London alone, spend approximately 4 million per year on catering services. It is therefore no surprise that in 2005 food was recognised by the Sustainable Procurement Task Force as one of the top-ten priority areas to focus on in furthering sustainable development.  Back in 2003 the Government introduced the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI).  It aimed to increase the public sectors ability to deliver sustainable food and farming and was used as the foundation for the toolkit developed by Camden.

The objectives of the PSFPI are reflected in the toolkit which includes specifications, tender evaluation criteria and key performance indicators designed to reduce the social and environmental impacts associated with the production, consumption and delivery of food.  With this purpose in mind, the toolkit advocates the use of seasonal, organic, quality assured and fairly traded produce, as well as encouraging recyclable packaging, reducing vehicle emissions and optimising transport whilst taking account of the NACC nutritional guidelines.

Ken Cole, Director of the London Centre of Excellence, said, “this is a practical and simple tool which should be adopted as a standard benchmark in the drive towards sustainable procurement.  More councils taking on the guidelines suggested in the toolkit, will translate into stronger buying power for local authorities and a healthier supply chain.”

The London Borough of Islington collaborated with Camden since the project began and has piloted elements of the toolkit for their Meals in the Home service, the London Borough of Haringey has use it as part of on-going contract management and Camden and two other boroughs have used components of the toolkit in their contracts.  In all over 20 local government authorities have been introduced to the toolkit at several events. Now Camden is helping local authorities to recognise how elements of the toolkit can be incorporated into all food related services across the capital.

Oliver Myers, Acting Head of Sustainability at Camden Council, added, “This unique toolkit offers tried and tested steps to improve the sustainability of the tendering process for public sector catering services at a time that ‘sustainable procurement’ is rising up the Local Authority agenda.”

For more information on the toolkit please visit the project website
http://www.lcpe.gov.uk/sustainable/Default.asp


Hampshire project takes a fresh look at local produce

Getting more local produce on the menu at Hampshire’s schools, hospitals and universities is a step closer thanks to a two year project by Hampshire County Council’s Economic Development Office.

The project was launched to foster greater links between local producers and the public sector and reconnect people with the food chain. As the project comes to a close a large number of the farmers and producers who took part are reporting an increase in demand from the public sector.
The purpose of the project was also to identify barriers to sourcing locally and find possible workable solutions to overcoming these. It is one of many Rural Pathfinder projects, funded by Defra, the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and other partners.

A number of schemes and initiatives have taken place as a result of the project. For example, Southampton University have launched their new healthy, ethical, local and organic (HELO) canteen for students and staff, public sector food buyers have been taken to Hampshire farms to meet farmers, meetings have been held with senior Army representatives, who oversee food contracts, to discuss increasing local food on Mess menus, and a DVD has been produced for parents to promote school meals.

Hampshire County Council’s Catering Service (HC3S), which supplies school meals for 444 primary and special schools and 29 secondary schools in the county, and is a great advocate of local produce, has just added local pork products to its menu. This is in addition to a growing range of locally sourced foods that have been gradually built up in the last few years, bringing the number of local producers supplying HC3S to 28. A list of their local suppliers can be found at: http://www3.hants.gov.uk/caterers/hc3s-food/hc3s-localsuppliers.htm
Food champions Hampshire Fare, which represents and promotes local producers of food, drink and craft based in the county, have overseen many of the activities carried out as part of this project. Hampshire Fare was invited to present at an International Food Procurement Workshop in London last February because the county is now nationally recognised as taking an innovative approach to reconnecting consumers and the food chain.

Executive Member for Economic Development, Councillor Michael Woodhall, said: “With issues such as the origin of produce and food miles coming under increasing media scrutiny there has never been a better time to carry out a project all about getting fresh, local produce on local plates. Only by creating greater opportunities for regional producers to access contracts with the public sector can this be achieved. The good news is that since the launch of the project two years ago 71 per cent of the producers taking part have reported an increase in demand from the public sector.

“There is still a lot of work to do, but the project has shown that there is real interest in the public sector for procuring food and drink locally. Hampshire County Council will do what it can to help foster these links because reconnecting people with local produce not only supports the local economy, it also benefits the environment as foods travels fewer miles to reach people’s plates.”

For a full copy of the report contact Frances Stokes on (01962) 845767 or email frances.stokes@hants.gov.uk

The project is entitled ‘Public Sector Procurement of Local Food’ and began in October 2005.

Looking after Hampshire, looking out for you www.hants.gov.uk/mediacentre For media enquiries please contact: Press Officer Tel: 01962 847363

Frances Stokes
Business Development Manager
Economic Development Office
Hampshire County Council
Tel: 01962 845767
Fax: 01962 878131
e-mail:frances.stokes@hants.gov.uk
www.hants.gov.uk/business


Call for Nutrition Trainers

Do you have experience delivering healthy eating and nutrition trainers?

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to use your training skills to really make a difference?

If so then Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency need you!

They are looking for enthusiastic and professional trainers to help get kids, parents and school staff become passionate about cooking and healthy eating.

The Greenwich Co-operative Development Agency are recruiting experienced and qualified trainers to deliver a range of healthy eating and nutrition courses, outlined below.

Community Cookery Clubs – 5 x 2 ½ hour weekly sessions

You will be working with parents and children helping them learn basic cooking skills and nutritional information. 

Each session will teach different aspects of healthy eating whilst putting the information and advice into practical use through cooking.   The main points covered will be:

Introduction to Healthy Eating & Nutrition (G) 3hrs

Healthy Eating & Nutrition (G) (6 x 2hrs)

Building on information supplied in the 3-hour session this course seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the effects of diet on health and weight

Healthy Eating & Running a Cookery Club (G)

A OCN accredited course which has 48hrs of teaching and covers a comprehensive over of the
important impact of diet on health, and the skills, confidence and ability to set up and run their own cookery clubs.

For each course you will be provided with a comprehensive training package and excellent support from the GCDA team. 

For more information, or for an informal chat about the positions, please call Claire or Mel on 020 8269 4880

Hourly rate depends on the course taught (& experience) £18-£25


Patients leave hospital malnourished

The number of patients leaving hospital malnourished has almost doubled in a decade, with one in five now affected, experts from Glasgow University and the Institute of Human Nutrition said yesterday.

Writing in the British Medical Journal, Mike Lean, professor of human nutrition at Glasgow University comments, "Hospital food is still provided by caterers who lack validated training in nutrition." There is good evidence, Prof Lean said, that patients who receive good nutrition recover faster. This means that they can be discharged sooner and save the NHS money. All hospital trusts should have a specialist responsible for nutrition, and junior doctors should receive more training on the issue.

 

Hospital switches to healthy eating

FURNESS General Hospital has swapped sweets and fizzy drinks with healthier options in its vending machines.

The availability of healthier snacks is part of a new healthy eating code of practice introduced by the hospital’s catering department.

In addition to the normal range of food, there will also be an adequate range of seasonal healthy food available in the staff and visitors’ dining rooms in line with the healthy workforce guidance.

The catering department will be following guidance from the North West Food and Drink Task Force group, which includes providing fresh water in all dining rooms as well as ensuring all drink vending machines must provide one type of non-sugary carbonated item.

Dining room menus now include healthy food options, indicated by a bowl of fruit logo on the menu.


News from Heart of Mersey

The latest newsletter from Heart of Mersey is full of interesting and thought provoking stories related to food and health.    The six hospitals involved with HoM have recently undertaken an audit of food policies and practices during which 1700 staff completed questionnaires.

One of the audit’s key findings was to make healthier eating the attractive option by borrowing ideas from the private sector and making healthier options more appealing through better presentation.

Modi Mwatsama, the Food & Health programme manager, recently organised a study visit to Slovenia to learn more about the health and lifestyle in the country as well as their initiatives to promote public health.  This was part of the HealthClusterNet programme that aims to facilitate the exchange of good practice through initiatives that support health and the local economy between partners.

For more information about its contents contact angela.cockburn@heartofmersey.org.uk.

 

Prince urges NHS chief executives to serve ‘healthy, seasonal, local and organic’ hospital food

Senior NHS figures from across the UK recently met at a seminar in London attended by HRH Prince Charles to discuss hospital food and its importance with regard to the twin issues of the environment (including climate change) and human health (including obesity).

With climate change an urgent priority and obesity costing the NHS a huge proportion of its annual budget, the Prince vividly highlighted the manifold benefits of using local, organic, seasonal fresh produce; patients benefit from plentiful fruit and vegetables bought in season at prices the NHS can afford, British farmers benefit, food miles are reduced and waste and subsequent greenhouse gases are minimized.

Prince Charles challenged NHS hospital trust chief executives to improve the quality of hospital food, emphasizing: “We are what we eat… we go into hospital to get well, so what we eat must help, not hinder that process”.   The Prince urged the attendees to regroup in six months time to report progress.

The prince quoted the recent government strategy unit report on food which stated

“The benefits to the UK of a healthier diet - in terms of health and well-being, national output and a lower burden on public services - are compelling. Studies have estimated that food-related ill health cost the NHS £6 billion in 2002 (9 per cent of its budget)”.

The seminar, organised by Sustain and the Soil Association at the Royal Brompton hospital, South London was rounded off with a meal of seasonal, local and organic food that was also on the patients’ menu that day.

Rosie Blackburn a project officer from Sustain; the alliance for better food and farming said: “The main perceived barrier to improving menus is invariably cost, yet when we talk to NHS catering managers we explain that there are many things they can do with their food to make it more sustainable, healthier and tastier without necessarily exceeding their current budget”.

 

New Covent Garden Market’s Celebration of Local Food

“Surveys show that we are not anywhere near meeting the demand for local produce…”

It was an early rise for hundreds of people, wanting to join the Celebration of Local Foods at London’s premier wholesale market, New Covent Garden. 45 regional producers plus 10 food organisations displayed their wares, pitching to the capitals buyers and chefs. The event was a great start for the three year partnership between New Covent Garden Market and the South East Food Group Partnership to increase the volume of local and regional food into the capital through the wholesale market.

The project being launched under the banner of “Local to London” will focus on bringing together the entire supply chain, from regional producers to wholesale traders and distributors, buyers from both the public and private sectors, and chefs. Further events and activity are to follow this one, with a target to increase the proportion of local food in London by 15 per cent, in line with the London Food Strategy. Plans for an event in early October are already on the way.

The next step is to get businesses to sign up to a membership organisation operating under this Local to London banner and project leader Tom Beeston tells us how “the initial commitment shown by market traders and distributors has been overwhelming. As has the support of the co-hosts of the day not least the Taste of Anglia, East Anglia Food Links, Soil Association, Sustain, English Food and Farming Partnership and the London Development Agency.”

Sir Don Curry, who chairs the group implementing the government’s Sustainable Food and Farming Strategy, described the day as a “Super Wednesday” in terms of the food agenda in the capital. “This is about establishing long-term relationships, with Covent Garden market as the hub and the London market as the target,” he said. “Surveys show that we are not anywhere near meeting the demand for local produce, so we need to open up access to the market for the foodservice sector, retailers large and small, and public sector food procurement. This is just the start of something big.”

Daniel Ox, of New Covent Garden based Fruit For the Office Company (http://www.fruitfortheoffice.co.uk/) explained “our business is committed to buying produce from as close to London as possible, and delivering it fresh to offices in the Capital. This event and the Local to London Project have already helped us to increase the amount of product we purchase from the South East.”

For further information regarding the Local to London Project please contact Tom Beeston: 07957 357 201 or tom.beeston@cgma.gov.uk


Urban Agriculture in London

London Food Link are organising a conference looking at the potential for more urban agriculture in the capital.  This event which is part of the London Festival of Architecture is set to take place on 30th June 2008 at City Hall.  The day will focus on the question:  how does London cater for the rising demand for space to grow food in the face of increasing pressure on land in the capital?

Through a series of presentations and discussions, we hope to move the agenda forward in London by looking at underutilised areas where there is potential for more food growing, and looking at different examples of existing food growing initiatives and training schemes. One focus for the day is the urban fringe and how commercial farming can be maintained.

This event follows recent work that London Food Link has been doing on urban agriculture.  The end of March sees the release of a report on urban agriculture in the US, which draws parallels with the potential for more of this activity in London.

For more information and to book a place at the event, please email londonfoodlink@sustainweb.org. More details will be available on http://www.londonfoodlink.org/ near the end of March.

 

Year of Food & Farming in London

“450 schools have signed up to British Potato Council ‘Grow Your Own Potatoes’ initiative”

Sue Haddleton joined Government Office for London in January as the Year of Food and Farming Project London Manager. Her challenge is to coordinate and take the project forward in London with 2,800 schools and 1.2 million children.

The aspirations of the project are to promote healthy eating by giving children and young people direct experience of food, farming and the countryside through farm visits, growing and cooking activities.

YOFF has a website and Megamap www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk/london that currently has over 850 pledges of involvement.

Although London City Farms are currently working to near capacity hosting annually approximately 160,000 visits from 600 schools, work over the next few weeks is add information to the website to increase farm visits, growing activities and events. If you can make a pledge please log on to the website.

On 6th February, Helen Evans of CMGA held a very successful launch at Covent Garden Market of an exciting project with Wandsworth schools entitled Feeling Good Eating Well. Teachers were given a wealth of resources and agreed to take part in a sustainable gardening competition which will be judged in June. The winning school will receive a cup and £500 towards developing their garden.

450 schools have signed up to British Potato Council ‘Grow Your Own Potatoes’ initiative and they will receive their kits on 4th March. All London schools that have pledged involvement on the YOFF London Megamap will receive a kit.

YOFF will be taking part in the Camden Green Fair and Bikefest this year on 1st and 2nd June of which the 2nd will be a schools day. More events are being planned.

To find out more Sue Haddleton can be contacted on susan.haddleton@gol.gsi.gov.uk or 0207 217 3472.


Update from the Food for Life Partnership in London

“Food for Life Partnership schools …aim to offer local farmers secure markets for seasonal and sustainably-produced food”.

The Food for Life Partnership (FFLP) is a network of schools and communities across England committed to transforming food culture. The Partnership, funded by the BIG Lottery, is led by the Soil Association together with the Focus on Food Campaign, Garden Organic and the Health Education Trust.

Our goal is to revolutionise school meals, reconnect young people with where their food comes from and inspire families to cook and grow food.

All schools are invited to join the Food for Life Partnership and work towards a Bronze, Silver or Gold Mark for good food culture. The Food for Life Partnership Mark is an action framework and award scheme to help schools and their communities transform their food culture. By winning these awards, schools will show that their school meals can be trusted and enjoyed, students are given the opportunity to cook and grow their own food and visit farms. Food for Life Partnership schools also value their catering staff and aim to offer local farmers secure markets for seasonal and sustainably-produced food.

Over the next three years we will also be selecting 20 Flagship Schools and Communities across London willing to fast track to our Gold Mark and share their learning with other schools and communities. Flagship Schools and Communities will receive direct support from the Food for Life Partnership to help them become hubs of good food culture for their wider communities. Our hope is that every school and community in London will have a Flagship School within easy reach, so they can see for themselves what can be achieved!

We will also encourage all enrolled schools to visit a farm at least once a year, but hopefully several times so that children experience the seasons. We are really keen for children to discover where their food comes from and how it is grown. Support is given to farmers involved through CEVAS training and payments for hosting the visits.

If you are a parent, local farmer or food business, encourage your local school to enrol with the Food for Life Partnership today!

Please visit our website to find out how you can get involved at http://www.foodforlife.org.uk/ or contact our Enquiry Line for more information on 0117 314 5180 or email fflp@foodforlife.org.uk.


Cutting hospital waste in the US – same issue, new solutions?
By SARAH LARSON

taken from ‘The Intelligencer’ – part of http://www.phillyburbs.com/ a newspaper website in Philadelphia.  They’re doing some interesting stuff – particularly the arrangement with a local farm who composts their food waste and the vendor packaging reduction seminar…
What if you could cut the amount of trash you throw away by half, increase by 30 or 50 percent the amount you recycle and stop trash at the source by bringing less into your house in the first place?

Now, what if you could multiply the environmental impact of those changes by 1,000 or 2,000 or 3,000?
That is the goal of a local green hospitals initiative, which is working with hospitals to cut their trash in half, reduce their toxic waste output and increase the amount they recycle.

Household recycling is commonplace now, but large institutions still have practical barriers to overcome, said Joe Benonis, of the Doylestown-based consulting firm Environmental Service Technologies. Hospitals in particular face unique problems.

“The challenge for hospitals is, how do we collect all of these confidential papers and this hazardous waste and still recycle and reuse what we can?” asked Benonis, who lives outside Carversville. “But if you've got the will to do it, you can figure out the way.”

Local hospitals apparently have the will.

When the organizers of the green initiative wrote to hospitals to ask if they were interested in participating, they hoped to get eight to agree.
Instead, 20 Philadelphia-area hospitals wanted in.

Local participating hospitals include Abington Memorial, Central Montgomery Medical Center, Doylestown, Holy Redeemer Health System, Lower Bucks Hospital and St. Mary Medical Center.

“Our intent here is to reduce the toxic waste that we produce, to use healthier products, to look critically at "reduce, reuse and recycle' in every way that we can across the whole organization,” said Meg McGoldrick, Abington Memorial's executive vice president and chief operating officer.
The initiative focuses on four areas: reducing medical waste, managing pharmaceutical waste, implementing environmentally friendly purchasing policies and designing green buildings.

Each hospital could choose which area it wanted to concentrate on.

Most of the local hospitals are focused on reducing medical waste and implementing green purchasing practices.

The hospitals share their best ideas with each other at their monthly meetings, spreading the “best practices” throughout the region.

“A lot of things we already do are green, but we've learned that there are a lot of things we could be doing, compared to other hospitals,” said Diane Pennington, who heads Doylestown Hospital's housekeeping and food service divisions.

All the local hospitals interviewed said their largest impact will come through reducing the amount of everyday trash that gets thoughtlessly thrown into the ubiquitous red hazardous-waste bags.

The bags are supposed to be reserved for infectious waste, said Benonis. Once something is in a red bag, it cannot be removed, reused or recycled. And a lot of things get thrown in there — by hospital staff, patients and visitors — that don't belong.

“Pepsi bottles, pizza boxes, magazines — it's all pretty common in most hospitals,” he said. “Sometimes, patients and their family and friends don't realize what that red bag is for. And for a long time, the thinking was, when in doubt, throw it in a red bag — it's safer.”

Besides missing opportunities for recycling, misuse of red bags drives up costs. Infectious waste must be sterilized before it is thrown into landfills with the other trash, Benonis said. While regular trash may cost a hospital 4 cents per pound to get rid of, red bag trash costs 30 cents per pound, he said. Recycling, on the other hand, might not cost a thing and might even bring in money from the recycler, he said. At Holy Redeemer, better patient and staff education and changes like adding recycling bins to patient rooms and moving the hazardous waste containers have cut the hospital's red bag waste by 70 percent, said Benonis, who is a consultant to Holy Redeemer, as well as the green initiative at large.

Other hospitals are making changes, too, and they say they are already making a huge impact. Here's a sampling of what they've done:
*Abington Memorial and Holy Redeemer send leftover food from their cafeterias to a local farmer to be composted. Both hospitals say they have saved 5 tons of food from going in the trash each month. That adds up to 134,400 pounds each year.

Holy Redeemer later buys the compost back from the farmer and uses it in its landscaping, said Benonis.

Doylestown is talking to Delaware Valley College about starting a composting program, said Pennington.

*Doylestown, Abington Memorial and St. Mary's are among the hospitals that have done away with cafeteria lines and now allow patients and their guests to custom order what they would like to eat. At Doylestown, this simple change has cut the hospital's food waste by 40 percent, Pennington said.

*Central Montgomery and Doylestown are among the hospitals that have ditched the old string mop in favor of microfiber mops. One microfiber cloth is used in each patient room, then it is washed and used again, said Jose Miranda, director of environmental services at Central Montgomery. Since the mop is never put back into the bucket of water, the water stays clean and doesn't need to be changed as often. Pennington estimates this change has helped Doylestown save $600,000 to $700,000 each year.

*Abington Memorial's new environmentally friendly purchasing policy aims to reduce the amount of cardboard, plastic and other packaging on the products the hospital buys. Simply by asking one company to stop wrapping its pallet of IV bags in plastic has eliminated 10 tons of plastic wrap waste per year, McGoldrick said.

The hospital recently held a day-long seminar with many of its vendors to talk about their packaging.

“We're telling them that anything they sell to us, they have to find a way to advise us how to recycle that product,” McGoldrick said. “It's going to be cost-effective for them in the long run, because if they can't produce it, we're going to buy it from a competitor who can.”

In the end, the challenge from the EPA to hospitals is to cut the waste they send to landfills by 50 percent. Can they really do it?

“I think we can,” said Miranda, at Central Montgomery, which has 125 beds. “This hospital puts out 940,254 pounds each year. That's a lot of garbage. And I'm going to do whatever I can to bring this down, significantly.”

The two-year project is a joint effort between the Healthcare Improvement Foundation, the Women's Health & Environmental Network, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Sarah Larson can be reached at (215) 345-3187 or slarson@phillyBurbs.com.

January 2008

Welcome to the winter edition round up of public sector procurement related stories compiled by the Good Food on the Public Plate project.

The project is funded by DEFRA and the City Bridge Fund and aims to increase the amount of sustainable food in public sector hospitals and care/nursing homes in London and the South East.

If you have a story you’d like added to the next edition please forward it to rosie@sustainweb.org.

If anyone else you know would like to go on the mailing list please sign up via
http://www.sustainweb.org/page.php?id=88

To find out more about the project visit  http://www.gfpp.org.uk/ or call the project officers, Rosie and Maresa  0207 837 1228.


Sustain launches web guide on 'How to Eat Well and Save the Planet!'

Sustain gets a lot of enquiries from individuals, organisations and food businesses, asking 'What is sustainable food?' In a new web-based guide, Sustain gives links to practical advice for anyone interested in buying and using more sustainable food - summarised in 'Seven principles of sustainable food'. Of course, new evidence is emerging all the time on how best to improve the sustainability of our complex food and farming system, so these principles are a work in progress. We would welcome your feedback on any useful material that we should include, or experience of putting the sustainable food principles into practice. We would also be very pleased if you or your organisation could make a link to Sustain's "Sustainable Food" web pages at: http://www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefood/

Fresh dough for sustainable food: new grant scheme for London sustainable food events

A new fund to promote sustainable food events in London has been launched by the London Development Agency and London Food Link. The £70,000 small grant scheme will provide an essential boost for organisations in London, to help them increase public awareness of sustainable food. The fund will help deliver the Mayor’s Food Strategy Implementation Plan, published in September 2007, which aims to create a world class, sustainable, food system for Londoners right along the food chain from production to retail. Grants from £500 to £5000 will be available for a wide range of sustainable food events from helping restaurateurs to buy local organic produce to showcasing sustainable food at community events. The grants are also open to public sector organisations although they will require match funding. For more information contact charlie@sustainweb.org

New Covent Garden Market Open Day - 6 Feb 2008

On the 6th of February, farmers and growers from across the UK are being invited to attend a special Open day, Meet-the-Supplier and Share-to-Supply conference aimed at closing the gap between producers, farmers and growers and the wholesale market. The day will see a renewed drive for London based wholesale market, New Covent Garden Market, to source more produce from its surrounding regions and is part of a three year project between the Market Authority and the South East to get more local food on the capital’s plates via wholesalers and catering distributors based at the market. The area around the capital used to be London’s larder, but wholesalers often now buy produce from overseas.  Reasons for this include price, availability and presentation.  Now the demand for local and regional produce is rising and buyers often don’t know where to source it from, the project aims to restore the link between growers and the London market.

Buy British food? No thanks, we’re from the Government

Figures published show that only just over half of all food served in Whitehall and in public institutions, such as the NHS and prisons, is British. The rest is shipped or flown into the country. The detailed breakdown of the £1.8 billion a year spent on meat, poultry, vegetables, potatoes and fruit for civil servants and ministers across the Government – published for the first time by Hilary Benn, the Rural Affairs Secretary – shows that only 25 per cent of bacon bought across the Government is British. About 95 per cent of the apples bought by the NHS are imports while just one in ten fish served by the Foreign Office is from British waters or farms. Downing Street at present does not keep records of the origin of food served from its kitchens. However, there appears to be a gulf between the warm words spoken by ministers in support of British farmers and the food served on their plate. Mr Benn has personally telephoned supermarket bosses to urge them to back British farmers suffering from flooding, foot-and-mouth, bluetongue and a new threat from avian flu.  One of the most surprising findings in the figures is that only just over 40 per cent of apples, pears and plums served in Whitehall are British grown. Prisoners and staff in state-run prisons do not get British fruit at all, while in the NHS only 5 per cent of fruit is of British origin. Mr Benn said that he was committed to the Government’s public sector food procurement initiative. But he made clear that there were strict EU regulations which prevented countries from favouring their own national suppliers.

Source: Times Online - November 2007
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2859658.ece

A bigger slice of the pie

Despite the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative, local suppliers are still struggling to win government food contracts. The increasing popularity of farmers' markets and farm shops has shown there is a large appetite among the UK public for locally sourced British food. So it will come as a disappointment to many to find the ingredients in the shepherd's pie they tuck into in the office canteen have probably not come from the UK. In 2003, the government set out its Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI), which outlines plans to buy more sustainable food - one element of which is encouraging and supporting local suppliers to win government food contracts. But the plan has been criticised, most recently in the Conservative Party's Quality of Life report, for a lack of targets and no way of monitoring its success. So what is holding buyers back? The government argues EU public procurement rules prevent discrimination in favour of local or British suppliers - a "lazy man's excuse" according to the Tories. But there are ways to increase the chances of local suppliers winning business.  The NFU has drawn up a model clause, which allows buyers to seek guarantees of traceability or seasonality of food. Kenny adds that buyers should be asking for "sustainable" rather than "local" in tenders, allowing them to specify details such as the regularity and timeframe of deliveries, giving local suppliers an advantage.

Source: Supply Management – November 2007
http://www.supplymanagement.com/EDIT/Featured_articles_item.asp?id=17122

Food in hospitals 'unacceptable'

One in three hospital patients is unhappy with the quality of food they receive, a UK-wide survey suggests. A quarter of the 1,000 patients questioned by consumer charity Which? said they had to rely on relatives to bring them something edible. Patients described hot food being still frozen in the middle or completely congealed and stuck to the plate. The government said it expected health trusts to meet guidelines on NHS nutritional standards. Which? also surveyed 250 members of staff, 21% of whom admitted they would be unhappy to eat the food served to patients each day. One patient described the food as "repulsive". And others complained their dietary needs were not catered for, with poor vegetarian choices or a lack of knowledge about food allergies. Around 38% of patients said meal times did not match when they were able, or wanted, to eat. One woman said the meal in the evening was a pre-packaged sandwich which patients had to collect from the dining area, but no-one had told her when she was admitted, so there was nothing left for her to eat by the time she got there.

Earlier this year food critic Loyd Grossman, once drafted in to revamp NHS menus, accused ministers of failing to take hospital patients' nutrition seriously. Mr Grossman was asked to head the government's £40 million Better Hospital Food Programme seven years ago. He said there was no political commitment to improving hospital food.

Source: BBC News – December 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7144557.stm

Exposed: Wales' filthy hospitals

Patients’ health is being put at risk by grubby hospital kitchens, Wales on Sunday can reveal. In a special investigation, we have discovered how food safety standards were breached by hospitals more than 360 times in the past year. Using Freedom of Information legislation, we asked every one of Wales’ 135 hospitals to hand over their most recent hygiene inspection reports for their kitchens.
And the results show how hardly any hospital escaped criticism.

Our catalogue of filth shows how some hospitals continued to serve up food to patients despite;

A plague of cockroaches;

Filthy floors and work surfaces;

Extensive mould growth in kitchen areas;

Grease dripping from ceilings; and

A lack of proper measures to prevent high-risk foods from being stored safely.
The Welsh Assembly Government says it is committed to ensuring hospital kitchens maintain “high standards”. But Shadow Health Minister Jonathan Morgan said he was outraged by the findings and called for drastic action. He said: “This is utterly disgraceful. “The bottom line is, how on earth can we expect people to keep hospital wards clean if they are not able to keep the kitchen clean?

Vanessa Bourne from The Patients Association – a charity which campaigns for patient rights – said hospitals had an obligation to make sure patients didn’t leave worse than when they arrived.
She said: “If the environmental health officer is doing his duty to the local community, there is no reason why a hospital should be allowed to have standards that differ from the local takeaway.

Source: Wales on Sunday – December 2007
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2007/12/16/exposed-wales-filthy-hospitals-91466-20255104/

Sodexho wins £26m hospital contract

Sodexho Healthcare has signed a five-year deal worth £26m in total turnover with Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust. Under the terms of the £5.2m annual turnover contract, Sodexho will introduce a plated steam option for patient feeding in the new year as well as running staff and public restaurants at Hillingdon and Mount Vernon hospitals. The company will also provide the Trust, which has 2,500 staff and 440 beds, with cleaning and other domestic services. Sue Batty, head of estates and facilities at the Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust, said: “I am delighted with the innovative approach bought with the proposal, and look forward to building a strong partnership.” Last month Sodexho announced it had won its first Private Finance Initiative contract in Ireland as part of a €300m (£211m) project. The company has been awarded preferred bidder status as part of a consortium that will construct and run four secondary schools in the Republic. Sodexho will provide facilities management services at each site including caretaking, cleaning and grounds management.

Source: Caterer Search – December 2007
http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2007/12/07/317793/sodexho-wins-26m-hospital-contract.html

Organic shop takes on hospital Burger King

Considering good food is essential in keeping you healthy, a Burger King was always an unusual choice for in-hospital food store. But at Southampton General Hospital, the grapes are fighting back the gherkins following the opening of a new organic farm shop. The shop is the first of its kind in Europe and one of only a few farm shops in a hospital in the world. It will stock an amazing 400 different varieties of fruit and veg, according to local paper, the Daily Echo.

Greens and meat will come from Warborne Organic Farm in Boldre, near Lymington. Owner and farm manager George Heathcote said: "It's definitely a bold move but we have noticed the market becoming less and less niche." "It's a logical step for us. We've got a great production base but we need another outlet and rather than go to the high street, why not put it in the heart of human health?"

Heathcote said that in the first two-and-a-half hours of business, they took nearly £1,000. Here's hoping the hospital will see sense and shut down the unhealthy competition.

Source: Smart Planet – December 2007
http://www.smartplanet.com/news/food/10000334/organic-shop-takes-on-hospital-burger-king.htm

Union welcome for food move

The Ulster Farmers' Union has welcomed the agreement reached by Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew, Health Minister Michael McGimpsey and Education Minister Caitriona Ruane 'to investigate the mechanics of collaboration between our departments in terms of food procurement'. This announcement comes following their meeting, at which increasing the volume of locally produced foods offered through public sector catering facilities was discussed. For some time, the UFU has been calling for greater public procurement of local food and tabled it as one of its five, early initiatives for government. UFU President Kenneth Sharkey said; "This issue has been high on our agenda for a number of years and we have been disappointed with the lack of emphasis on the potential economic, health and environmental benefits which could be gained by Northern Ireland sourcing local produce". "The Scottish Parliament is already developing a National Food Policy which includes a greater emphasis on the procurement of local food. We have called for this to be replicated in Northern Ireland" "Sourcing home grown or reared food, could give a great boost to the agri-food industry, by re-investing public money into our industry and boosting economic growth.

Source: Farming Life Today – December 2007
http://www.farminglife.com/farmingnews/Union-welcome-for-food-move.3548097.jp

Organic on the menu in Carmarthen schools

On Thursday 6 December, with the full support of Carmarthenshire County Council, all the primary schools in the county had an organic meal on the menu. The meal was the fifth in a series of demonstration school meals aiming to help establish local supply chains by involving council staff, councillors, governors, parents, farmers and growers. These events, organised as part of the EU RAFAEL project which promotes authentic food in the Atlantic coastal areas of Europe, also demonstrate the opportunities and difficulties in sourcing local organic produce for school meals. Organic Centre Wales joined in at dinnertime at Peniel primary school in Carmarthenshire. Organic shepherds’ pie and organic carrots went down very well with the children, cooks and teachers. The children asked lots of questions about organic food and they were each given a leaflet with more information about organic farming. Anyone interested in the RAFAEL project or about demonstration school meals can contact Jane Powell on 01970 621530 or see the OCW website or the Rafael website at http://www.rafael-eu.com/

Source: Organic Market Wales – December 2007
http://www.organic.aber.ac.uk/markets/mibulletin/dec07.htm

North Carolina hospitals to offer healthier food choices

North Carolina hospitals are about to get even healthier. To address growing rates of preventable illness caused by overweight and obesity, The Duke Endowment announced a three year, $1 million grant to help hospitals offer healthier foods and beverages in their facilities. Nearly two thirds of adults and one in six children in North Carolina are overweight or obese. The N.C. Hospital Foundation, an affiliate of the North Carolina Hospital Association, has partnered with NC Prevention Partners (NCPP) to develop resource materials, provide technical assistance, and conduct trainings with hospitals throughout the state. Over the next three years, the N.C. Hospital Foundation and NCPP will also work closely with hospitals to:

Increase access to and availability of healthier foods and beverages; 

Implement nutrition labeling, and promotion of healthier foods and beverages in hospitals; 

Decrease the availability of high calorie, low nutrient foods and beverages; and 

Provide education to employees, patients and visitors.
"Rates of obesity and chronic diseases linked to obesity continue to soar in North Carolina," said NC Prevention Partners Executive Director Dr. Meg Molloy. "With millions of annual visits to hospitals across the state, hospitals represent a significant source of food and beverage consumption outside the home. When we're in the hospital, we don't tend to focus on what we're eating. Hospitals have clearly recognized that they can positively impact their employees' health by establishing healthier environments. This initiative will make it easier to choose healthier food options and hopefully encourage healthier behavior overall."

Source: Carolina Newswire – December 2007
http://carolinanewswire.com/news/News.cgi?database=1news.db&command=viewone&id=9435&op=t
 
Don't Go Hungry in Hospital!

Red trays, protected mealtimes, a weekly competition and the launch of a new information leaflet for patients are the result of efforts by South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Age Concern Torbay to boost nutritional standards in Torbay Hospital. As part of a national day of action on Wednesday (November 21), representatives from Age Concern Torbay and the Trust together launched their new leaflet 'Don't go hungry in hospital', which has been designed as part of a national Age Concern campaign to stamp out malnutrition in hospitals. The leaflet explains that eating well in hospital means that patients are more likely to recover sooner. It advises patients, particularly older patients, to tell the ward staff if they have problems eating, so that they can get help to eat and drink when needed and be given the kind of food that suits them and boosts their nutritional intake.

Torbay Hospital has over the past two years already introduced protected mealtimes, so that patients can have their meals undisturbed by ward rounds and nursing staff can be available to give a helping hand. The hospital has also now brought in the "red tray" system, as a practical way to alert staff which patients require assistance at mealtimes and whose food intake needs monitoring. This does not rely on patients asking for help, as the hospital's nursing staff carry out a nutritional assessment for all patients which then flags up the need for the red tray. In addition, the hospital's catering staff, with advice from dieticians, have added nourishing options to the menus for patients who find it difficult to eat very much, such as homemade soups, full fat yoghurts, full fat ice creams, and the opportunity to have snacks between meals, for example homemade cakes and fruit.

Source: South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust – November 2007
http://www.sdhct.nhs.uk/aboutUs/newsAndPublications/pressReleases/2007/071119_hospitalNutrition.php