Coinciding with National School Meals Week, 13-17 November 2017, the NFU’s Food Chain team is surveying schools across the country to find out more about their sourcing policies, and to highlight the benefits of buying British produce.

image expired

National School Meals Week is run annually by the Lead Association for Catering in Education (LACA) to highlight all that is good about school meals across England and Wales. Schools, school caterers and food providers use the week to showcase the best school meals have to offer.

School caterers spend upwards of £750 million on food every year. The NFU’s food chain team has sent schools a simple postcard questionnaire, which they can return providing valuable information about where they source food from, whether they use the government’s buying standards and what obstacles may prevent them from putting more British food on the menu.

The government’s Plan for Public Procurement includes standards that food procured within the public sector should reach. By procuring food with the Red Tractor logo, schools can evidence they are adhering to these buying standards, and demonstrate to parents they have a good sourcing policy, which also helps to boost the British food and farming industry.

Read more about the government’s Food Marketplace procurement portal and how the NFU’s Food Chain team is working with farmers and growers to enable more British food to enter the public sector supply chain.

You can also email the Food Chain Team with any queries.