Tackling malnutrition in the community: the role of procurement

Joanna Lewis, Strategy & Policy Director, SA Food for Life

Balanced Scorecard

“Food for Life Catering Mark is a well-established scheme for caterers that covers similar issues to the balanced scorecard. Membership of the scheme provides caterers with independently verified evidence of their achievements. It incorporates a wide range of product assurance schemes including Red Tractor and other farm assurance schemes, Fairtrade, LEAF Marque, Marine Stewardship Council, Freedom Food and Organic, and will generally guarantee good or excellent performance by caterers against the award criteria in the balanced scorecard.”

>8,000 schools

44% of English primary schools

>300 nurseries

>30 hospitals

>35 universities

>185 residential care homes

>70,000 meals daily in hospitals/care settings

8,865 meals daily across 31 workplaces including

Defra, DfE, DECC, City Hall, Scottish Government

Jaguar Landrover, Pearson’s, Land Securities, Pepsico

A growing movement

Procurement for social value

The Public Services (Social Value) Act requires public authorities – including local authorities and the NHS - to have regard to economic, social and environmental well-being in connection with public services contracts. The authority must consider (a) how what is proposed to be procured might improve the

economic, social and environmental well-being of the relevant area, and

(b) how, in conducting the process of procurement, it might act with a view to securing that improvement.

“The Catering Mark… is highlighted because of the breadth of its coverage, both for nutrition and sustainability, as it incorporates several other assurance schemes and is largely in line with the Government Buying Standard.”

New standards for hospital food

Catering Mark and hospital food

“Hospital food has become a clinical priority and there is a clear endorsement from the Department of Health and NHS England of the Catering Mark standards for hospitals. It is now up to us…to encourage our local hospitals to achieve the Catering Mark as a symbol of good medicine and care.” Dr Michael Dixon, NHS Clinical Commissioners

Communal dining in hospitals

Care settings framework

A whole setting approach

The good food movement

“What needs to be said loud and clear is that the good food movement has an essential role to play because the transition to a prevention culture needs to occur in society at large and not just within the health service and it will not be accomplished unless good food is made more readily available and affordable. In other words, the good food movement is the greatest ally of the NHS.”

Prof Kevin Morgan, Senedd Paper for the National Assembly for Wales, 2015

Making Britain healthier through food

“Food for Life is one of the most inspirational social experiments of our time”

Prof Kevin Morgan, Senedd Paper for the National Assembly for Wales, 2015

www.foodforlife.org.uk