Why Organic?
In March 2005, Defra launched its new Catering Services and Food Procurement Toolkit for caterers to promote more environmentally friendly procurement. In order to trial the toolkit, Defra re-tendered its catering contract which was won by BaxterStorey (an independent catering business) to supply Defra offices in London and Surrey.
BaxterStorey are very keen to supply and promote the use of local, organic and Fairtrade ingredients as part of a varied menu of healthy meals. They are committed to sourcing local and organic produce and will be supplying one organic main meal each day. They are currently working with their suppliers to increase the amount of fresh, seasonal, locally sourced and organic produce.
Though meal prices have not changed, the menus have improved greatly and the number of staff eating in the canteen has increased. The salad bar, fresh fruit and fresh fish are very popular at lunchtime, whilst fruit smoothies, crushes, and organic juices and health bars are popular healthy snack options. In addition, the caterers operate a traffic light system to help staff make healthy choices and also clearly specify if the dishes contain gluten, pork, nuts, fish or dairy using colour coding.
Mike Hanson, General Manager at BaxterStorey said: "We are committed to providing our customers with healthy meal options and are keen to source local food. We already get over 70 per cent of our beef, chicken and pork, 95 per cent of fish, 95 per cent of dairy and 95 per cent of bakery products from the UK and are looking to increase the number of organic suppliers."
Roger Petty of Defra has seen a real difference to the canteen since the changes were brought in: "The lunches are excellent value and the quality of food is very high. The meal price includes fresh vegetables, so you can help yourself. We have seen a real increase in the number of staff eating at the canteen and I now eat my main meal at work instead of in the evenings."
The toolkit was developed in response to the Government's introduction of the Public Sector Procurement Initiative. Its main aims were to increase the amount of small and local suppliers that are supplying the public sector, increase the consumption of healthy and nutritious food and reduce the adverse environmental impacts of production and supply.
To view more information on 'Why Organic' click here