SPOTLIGHT: FOOD PROCUREMENT
In-house catering with an expert food procurement partner
know what they’re doing when it comes to effective procurement and making substantial savings that can be reinvested in our in-house operation.”
Furthermore, choosing the right partner can deliver an expert dietetics and nutrition function with Registered Dietitians who clearly understand and promote School Food Standards, and provide regulatory compliance updates, as well as providing allergen management training, which is critical when up to 9% of children are estimated to have food allergies.
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ayden Hibbert, Client Relations Director at allmanhall and former Head of Catering at a group of international schools, applies his experience to provide insight on the current challenges facing the food sector and what they mean for school catering teams.
Food inflation currently sits at 3% and is forecast to rise to 4-5% by the end of this year. The volatile pricing landscape has been caused by challenges in the supply chain, both at a global and local level. Whilst there is turbulence there are things that can be done and planned for, to help schools retain control, reduce food costs in real terms and to make sure their food purchasing is as effective and as responsible as possible. The best way to manage this is by partnering an in-house catering team with a provider who can give a school not only cost savings but a raft of other support functions – a one-stop shop for a school’s catering needs.
Working with a procurement partner takes away the pain of having to negotiate prices oneself - they will manage all suppliers and mitigate risk whilst negotiating food prices, all the while providing transparent cost breakdowns. This is increasingly an essential requirement when the supply chain is facing extreme volatility as a consequence of global trade challenges. Labour costs are often a headache. The recent National Minimum Wage increase of 6.7% and the 1.2% rise in employer National Insurance Contributions mean that all employers will face higher costs and particularly those sectors heavily reliant on minimum wage workers, such as catering. Food production and supply is impacted,
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too, so this is also affecting school food prices. There are ways to surround an in-house team, cost-effectively, with support services. For example, an expert food procurement solution will deliver both cost savings and insight by providing a catering controls platform to track and manage every penny of spend, stock audits and wastage.
Nigel Donnelly of Northern Star Academies Trust has discovered that working with allmanhall as their food procurement partner has made a vast difference to the school: “These guys really
Surrounding a catering team with inspiration for new menu ideas will engage them and spark creativity, as well as ensure that sustainability as well as cultural inclusivity are core ingredients of the meals provided. Examples of this can be found in allmanhall’s School Food Standards- compliant Hero Recipes.
A competent team with a dedicated support partner will ensure that a school’s catering service is a success, achieving significant and necessary cost savings, mitigating price increases, and enhancing health and sustainability.
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