Into Practice - delivering regional foods to school kitchens
A project funded by Defra’s Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative
Objective:
To test the efficacy of the Supply Chain model proposed in http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/pdf/supchainmod2.pdf (Collier, Graham; A Flexible and Sustainable Supply Chain Model to provide Local Food into Schools, June 2005) through a pilot project funded by Defra.
Assignment:
In collaboration with Warwickshire County Caterers, Class Catering and Bredon Hill Middle School deliver cost effectively a range of meal ingredients from a collaborating group of farmers, growers and food producers into the kitchens of schools in Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
The Model:
The Supply Chain is short so that producers receive a large proportion of their selling price. Producers are held within a co-operative structure within which there are product-related producer clusters which manage product range and continuity. Merchandise is moved to the customers through a marketing, administration, order collation and distribution hub.
Producers and Products:
Nine producers, some working with partner producers, collaborated to supply potatoes, a range of seasonal vegetables, in both prepared and non-prepared formats, poultry meat (chicken and turkey), minced beef, sausages, cheese, milk, bread rolls and apple juice. More than 90% of the products supplied (both volume and value) were either grown or produced within a 30 mile radius of the distribution hub.
Key outcomes
- Sales to 17 Schools during the 4 week pilot exceeded £4,500, which represents 15-20% of fresh foods purchased by the schools for their meals service.
- All the schools were delighted with the service they received – deliveries on time, with the correct quantities and products to the standard expected.
- Comments from the customers:
Cooking fresh vegetables is faster than cooking from frozen and they are a nicer, crunchier eat.
Children had the chance to try some vegetables they had not eaten before and many older children were introduced to eating some uncooked vegetables including cauliflower and broccoli.
Conclusion:
The pilot was a practical demonstration of the flexibility and adaptability of the business model for supplying locally produced foods into schools. Commercial success relies on average order values that make delivery costs recoverable and pricing structures which from the schools’ and producers’ perspectives are sustainable.