Summer 2014

CONNECTIONS

IN THIS ISSUE

• The School Food Plan made easy

• CSR and sustainability in schools

• The ‘What Works Well’ initiative

• Are you FIR ready?

* Open to UK & IE bona fide chefs and caterers aged 18+ (entrants must have their employer’s permission to enter). To enter text KNORR (space) followed by your unique code located on the on-pack sticker to 53341, or complete entry form at www.ufs.com/knorrpromo for a chance to win an Apple iPad® mini with Retina display, Wi-fi, 16GB. Entrants will receive text/web page message confirming outcome of entry. One entry per unique code only found on promotional packs of Knorr Paste Bouillon (1kg, 2kg and 880g). NI: No purchase necessary, promotion starts 00:01 (GMT) 01.01.2014 and closes 23:59 (GMT) 30.06.2014. Internet access required. Texts charged at your standard network rate. Texts received after closing date will not be entered but may still be charged. Up to 2000 Apple iPad® mini with Retina display, Wi-fi, 16G, to be won. Entrants must retain their unique code sticker to claim their prize. Visit www.ufs.com/knorrpromo for full terms and conditions. iPad® mini with Retina display is a trademark of Apple Inc.

Win an

iPad®

mini*

Ashley Maskell, Head Chef,

The Six Bells Inn, Peterstone

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Welcome...4

10

News & peopleGreen10 creates a

stir at the Footprint

Awards; foodservice

operators report a

rise in confidence;

the effects of street

food on casual

dining; and the

launch of a unique

new Tea Party event

for Care Homes

6 The School Food Planmade easy by Bidvest 3663As UIFSM draws closer the

company offers advice on

how to ensure you are top

of the class

10

Designer labelsWith the new Food Information

Regulation only months away Bidvest

3663 gives you all the facts you need to

be FIR ready

With the new academic year just aroundthe corner there is a distinct ‘Back ToSchool’ feel to this issue of Connections.And, as everybody knows, this Septemberwill be like no other thanks to theintroduction of Universal Infant FreeSchool Meals (UIFSM). So, to keep youright up to speed, we bring you some ofthe latest information and advice whichwe hope will help you meet thechallenges of UIFSM.

In the first of two articles (page 6) Bidvest 3663

offers you practical advice on a range of topics

relating to UIFSM including equipment, funding and

how to prepare for the new School Food Standards.

We offer our own lesson by explaining how our

Green10 solution can help schools improve their CSR

and sustainability (page 8).

‘What Works Well’ (page 9) is the latest initiative to

be launched by the School Food Plan and aims to

bring the best ideas in school food together in

one place.

The second article penned by Bidvest 3663 (page 10)

explores the implications of the new Food

Information Regulation (FIR) and offers advice on

how you can ensure you are FIR ready.

And of course no edition of Connections would be

complete without a round-up of what’s been

happening around the industry and what’s coming

up (page 4).

Have a great summer everyone!

Mia LowdenCommercial Manager

What Works Well...is a new initiative from TheSchool Food Plan whichsets out to share the bestideas in school food

8

9Alfa House, 7 Doman Road, Camberley, Surrey GU15 3DNT: 01276 401000 F: 01276 686940 E: mailbox@acquireservices.co.uk W: www.acquireservices.co.uk

Acting responsiblySome advice on how Green10 can

help schools hit their CSR and

sustainability goals this summer

News and people...

Chefs and foodservice operators are feeling more confident about

future trading than they were 12 months ago, with 86% of those

taking part in a recent survey anticipating an increase in sales over

the next year and many less inclined to implement further cost-

cutting measures.

According to Eating Out-Look, a new quarterly survey of

consumers and foodservice professionals from Horizons and JRA,

a quarter of businesses are expecting a large increase in trade over

the next 12 months, significantly higher than in 2013. Restaurateurs

are the most optimistic about future trading with 34% of those

surveyed anticipating large increases in food sales. A quarter

of hotels and 20% of pubs and bars also expect to see

large increases.

The survey, undertaken during March-April 2014, reveals that

operators are now less likely to be planning cost-saving measures

compared with this time last year. In Spring 2013 the majority

(73%) said they would be re-engineering menus to reduce costs.

This year the proportion making similar plans has fallen to 67%.

We had a brilliant time at the Footprint Awards recently andalthough our Green10 initiative didn’t win on the night it stillplayed a very important role in the event.

The awards organisers took the decision to measure all aspects of

the dinner in real-time; including food miles, local sourcing,

supplier responsibility, seasonality, energy, culture, animal welfare,

wellbeing, packaging and waste. To enable them to do this we

made the Green10 dashboard available to them for the evening.

To measure the food waste element - from preparation right

through to the end of the night – Winnow Solutions integrated its

system into Green10 so that the organisers were able to report

this on the night, and give an accurate report of what was created

post event.

It was great to see so many attendees engaging with the idea:

one of them even tweeted a screen-grab of the Green10

dashboard, highlighting the food mileage credentials, from his

smart phone!

We are proud to be associated with Footprint and our

sponsorship of the Social Impact & Diversity Award absolutely

complements our passion for helping foodservice organisations

realise their unique sustainable goals.

4 | SUMMER 2014

The organisers of the

Footprint Awards applied

Green10 to their gala dinner

▼

Foodservice operators report rise inbusiness confidence

Green10 leaves its mark

No sooner had the dust settled on this year’s Nutritionand Hydration Week than another event guaranteed tosustain ‘afternoon tea fever’ in care homes throughoutthe country was announced, in the form of a competitionorganised by NAPA (National Activity ProvidersAssociation) and supported by Unilever Food Solutions(UFS).

The two organisations have teamed up to launch NAPA’s

first Best Ever Tea Party Award at its annual Gala on 17th

September 2014. To be eligible for the award, care homes

must hold a tea party at any date up until 24th July 2014.

The winning care home will receive £250 to be spent on

activities, along with a hamper filled with treats.

Don’t know where to start? UFS has produced a PG tips

Biggest Ever Tea Party toolkit (packed with games,

recipes and posters) to give care homes inspiration for

their events. For more information call 0800 7833728 (opt

3), or for details of how to enter the competition visit

www.napa-activities.co.uk.

New street food report revealsinfluence on casual dining trendsStreet food dining is having an increasingly far-

reaching influence on the eating out and catering

industries according to a new report. The Street

Food Report 2014, commissioned by Santa Maria,

polled 150 people face-to-face across four different

street food markets in London.

It found that engagement in street food markets is

strong, and not just among the young, urban

“hipster” crowd – although the majority of those

polled were in the 25-34 age bracket. The figures

also show that nearly half (47%) of consumers plan

to eat more street food in the next 12 months than

they do already. The report also found that street

food introduces people to new, global flavours; makes sharing plates and hand-held, easy-to-eat

dishes more attractive; is perceived to be good value; and increases the social element of eating out.

The influence of this level of interest in street food can be seen in the current trend for small plates

and sharing dishes, the report said, as people look to taste many different things in one meal. Casual

dining and catering operators should bear this in mind, the report suggested, and create easily

‘shareable’ meals, hand-held dishes, and mix-and-match options.

Diary datesJuly

• 9th-11th LACA Main Event

September

• 14th-20th National Curry Week

• 20th-4th Oct British Food Fortnight

• 23rd-24th Lunch! Show

• 17th-23rd Nutrition and Hydration Week

October

• 1st World Vegetarian Day

• 6th-8th Restaurant Show

Vouchers are no longer important to sales

generation and repeat business, according

to hospitality operators. The survey,

conducted by Peach Factory on behalf of

technology provider Omnico Group, asked

business leaders which marketing activities

were most important in generating sales in

2014. Customer feedback and social media

were credited as being the key initiatives,

with 82% and 77% respectively of the 173

operators questioned saying they were

important. Just 16% said that vouchers

were important this year, while 36% said

that loyalty cards were significant. Peach

Factory also surveyed 5,000 consumers on

their attitude to loyalty. It found that 53%

thought that vouchers would encourage

them to revisit a pub, bar or restaurant.

Email offers were also popular among

consumers, with 39% more likely to return

with a digital discount, followed by stamp

card loyalty (27%).

Hospitalityoperators sayvouchers no longer drivesales

Get ready for your bestever tea party

LACA Main Event 2014 School Food Plan. These three words are inextricably linked to the 2014 LACA

Conference and carry a great deal of meaning for all involved. Collaboration is

essential in times of change and with the implementation of the Plan and the

introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) the landscape of

school catering is certainly undergoing massive transformation. The LACA Main Event, which is being held at the

Hilton Birmingham Metropole on the 9th-11th July, is a central platform for everyone to come together and put

ideas and words into sustained action. To find out more visit www.laca.co.uk

SUMMER 2014 | 5

TheSchoolFoodPlanmadeeasy by Bidvest3663

Launched in July 2013, the School Food Plan contains a list of actions andrecommendations that aim to help head teachers improve food culture and mealuptake in their schools. One of the most widely-known and talked about actions isUniversal Free School Meals for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils, but there are over adozen more individual recommendations and actions that will affect schools across theUK. You can read all the recommendations at www.schoolfoodplan.com

We understand that keepingon top of all the informationand getting prepared can bea difficult task, and that's whywe're here to offer supportevery step of the way, withinformation, advice, practicalideas and inspiration formaking positive changes inyour school.

One of the ways you can dothis is to log ontowww.3663.co.uk/school-

food-plan where the company has been adding new content on a monthly basis to helpyou plan through all of the key developments, including free school meals, new SchoolFood Standards and developing a school food culture and activity plan.

Here are our top tips to get ready:

1. Get equippedWhether you already have a school kitchen, are planning to build one, or are bringing inmeals from another kitchen, it’s important not to overlook any essential pieces ofequipment you may need in September. Now is also a good time to take stock of yourcurrent equipment to make sure all your resources are working as optimally as possible.Why not consider energy and water-saving ideas?

If you’re planning on investing in your kitchen facilities, such as a new installation orrefurbishment, you’ll need to plan this well in advance to ensure there’s enough time tocomplete before September.

2. Check efficiencyThere are various things you can do to build efficiencies into your kitchen and get the bestout of the space you have. For smaller kitchens, it might be worth investing in a Combioven if you don’t already have one. These ovens are an integrated three-in-one appliance

SUMMER 2014 | 7

and perfect when you have a limited space, freeing up timeand resource. Similarly, who would be without a Robot Coupe,the large slicer, dicer and grater, can save time and hassle onvegetable preparation, while providing portion control andconsistency.

Is your catering team big enough to produce more meals? Willyou need to recruit more lunchtime supervisors? Will thecatering staff working day need to change to keep your schoolmeal operation as efficient as possible? This is an ideal time toreview your staff requirements.

3. Let us help you plan with your suppliersTo help things run smoothly when school starts in Septemberit’s essential that you inform your suppliers of any increase inorders you will need to cope with increased meal take-up.Many of our suppliers will already be working with you and themanufacturers to ensure that depots are stocked up with theproducts schools need but the more they know about theircustomers expected uptake, the more prepared they’ll be.Speak to your catering team, pupils and parents to find outpotential up-take numbers for free school meals and don’tforget, this may also include siblings of KS1 pupils and childrenwho may not be claiming the free meals they’re currentlyentitled to.

One of the most important actions will be placing your firstfood orders for September by the end of July. The estimatednumber of extra meals is 1.5 million per day nationwide, sosuppliers will need to ensure they’re ready to fulfil your orders.Also you may be planning cleaning or inset days at the end ofthe summer holidays where staff will be available for the firstdeliveries of the new academic year. Make sure you speak toyour suppliers or ask us to link up with them for you so as to letthem know when you’re planning for your first delivery of thenew term.

4. Be prepared for the new StandardsAn important action in the School Food Plan is the updating ofthe existing School Food Standards.

On 7th March, the government released the revised SchoolFood Standards for England to the entire education industry

for a six week consultation period. The draft standards can befound on www.schoolfoodplan.com but keep in mind thatthese are under consultation and the final guidelines are due tobe published in September 2014. Before you panic, these willnot be compulsory until January 2015 and will not apply toprivate schools, FE colleges or academies set up between 2010and 2014.

A key change is that schools will no longer have to follownutrient-based standards. This means that menus will not haveto be analysed to meet set levels of nutrients such as protein,fat, vitamins etc. They will still need to meet certain criteriathough to ensure children are eating a balanced diet at school.And don’t forget, we are here to help, we can put you incontact with nutritionists who can help you develop acompliant 3 week menu cycle you can use. Just give us a call.

5. Find the support you need

Funding available for schools:Find out what may be available to your schools and how toapply for funding at www.schoolfoodplan.com/funding-confirmed-for-universal-infant-free-school-meals.

Children’s Food Trust National Advice Line:

You can call 0800 680 0080 to access various levels of support,from advice and guidance over the phone, to a face-to-facemeeting with a professional advisor. Atwww.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk there are fantastic hints and tipson how you can start preparing for serving more meals inSeptember such as staggering lunch times, changing the layoutof your dining room and reducing or simplifying your menu.

Head teacher checklist, Q & A and extra information: There isa wealth of information for head teachers on the School FoodPlan website, including ‘What Works Well’ case studies atwww.schoolfoodplan.com/schools.

The revised School Food Standards:You can download a draft of the new standards fromwww.schoolfoodplan.com/standards. Remember you do notneed to do anything now as they will not be confirmed untilSeptember 2014.

8 | SUMMER 2014

Given that our schools are responsible foreducating the business leaders andentrepreneurs of the future you mightargue that CSR is more important for themthan anyone: it is vital that schools are ableto demonstrate and teach robustly ethicalstandards to their students. The food chain

is a great place to start

Whenit comes to

suppliershelping school

catering departmentsand the wider school with

their CSR requirements this is all aboutschools understanding where they are now, onwardlymonitoring performance and perhaps setting targets forfuture improvement. If we are talking about productprovenance and content then some suppliers are better atproviding product attribute data than others, but it is theavailability of such data that allows schools to makeinformed choices about what they are buying. Our Green10initiative (www.greenten.co.uk) gives schools access tosupplier CSR metrics and the resultant supplier’s score. Thisdata may be used to identify what they consider to besuitably qualified suppliers within any category of supplyand then, once an assessment of alternative suppliers hasbeen completed, choose the appropriate supplier that fitstheir CSR policy. Since Green10 delivers ongoingmeasurement of suppliers’ CSR policies it provides themeans to assess long term performance against othersuppliers within a category. As a result the school can easilygauge the environmental profile of its entire supply base andmake any appropriate changes as time goes by.

There are many issues to consider when extending anexisting responsible sourcing strategy or constructing anapproach for the first time. Whatever their current situationGreen10 has been developed to help schools realise theirunique goals. Through engagement with it schools canestablish a route map which can be built upon to realise theirresponsible sourcing goals. For each pillar - Food Mileage,Local Sourcing, Supplier Environmental Profile, Seasonality,Renewable, Culture, Animal Welfare, Wellbeing, Packagingand Food Waste - the metric by which operational andfinancial performance may be measured has been defined.We understand that school caterers will focus upon their

own combination of pillars that reflects their policies,strategies and CSR goals. Our job is to help them shape theirapproach to responsible sourcing and provide the means bywhich progress can be accurately measured.

We accept that building Green10 to full capacity is definitelya journey, not a destination - not least because the sector isconstantly evolving and Green10 needs to evolve with it. Forexample, take the revised EU Food Labelling Regulations(see feature on page 10), which become effective inDecember 2014. These will bolster the requirement for foodallergen information and nutrition data to be made availableto consumers and “up the ante” in terms of the provision ofsuch data from the supply chain. As a result, one of our keycollaborative objectives over the coming months will be theincorporation of an allergen tool into Green10.

By engaging with Green10 school caterers “doing the rightthing” can now measure the effectiveness of their strategiesand communicate their progress to their stakeholders. Thisinformation can be shared on many levels. It can be includedas part of the caterer’s commitment to the school and aspart of the school’s commitment to the welfare of its pupils.It could even be taken into the classroom as a learning toolto teach children about the issues behind sustainability.

Green10 does not seekto dictate best practice:it supports theindividual aims andobjectives of schoolcaterers, whatever theirsize, whether primary,secondary orindependent - singlesite or part of an estate;and it’s completelyinclusive - Green10 isavailable to everyone,whether a client ofAcquire or not.

VITAL LESSON

SUMMER 2014 | 9

What Works Well is an initiative from the School Food Plan, bringing together thebest ideas in school food. At the centre of this is an easy-to-access online hub whichcan be found at www.schoolfoodplan/wwwThe site was launched in early May, at the startof the summer term

From September 2014, three of the mostsignificant changes proposed by theSchool Food Plan will come into effect.All children in the first three years ofschool will receive free school meals;practical cookery and food educationwill become a compulsory part of thenational curriculum for 5 to 14 yearolds; and revised School FoodStandards will be introduced.

We know that excellence does notcome about by government decree: it is drivenby great school leaders, and by imaginativecooks and teachers who are given the rightcircumstances and the right culture in which toflourish. Unless schools make the changesnecessary for a thriving food culture the legalchanges will have a minimal impact. We want togive headteachers, governors, cooks andcaterers easy access to each other’s ideas tohelp spread best practice faster and wider.

The What Works Well website will cover a broadrange of areas including: recipes; rotas; trainingfor cooks; managing queues and small diningareas; how to cut costs to increase take-up; therole of local and sustainable food in improvingtake-up; ideas for the curriculum and crosscurricular activities such as gardening.These first-hand stories from headteachers,caterers, children and others will show how theirschool tackled hurdles any school may face.What Works Well isn’t about telling people whatto do, but sharing the best ideas from thosewho have successfully done it.

As well as written case studies, the What WorksWell archive will contain entertaining short filmsabout schools that have made the change. Thesite will also direct users to lots of excellentmaterial that has already been created byorganisations such as the Children’s Food Trust,LACA and the Food for Life Partnership. TheSchool Food Plan has partnered with the TESand the Guardian Teacher Network so thatschools can access their rich content and takepart in online discussions and forums.

The School Food Plan wants as many schools,governors and caterers as possible to use WhatWorks Well to help them weave good food intotheir schools. We also need the schools that arealready ‘doing it well’ to share their ideas andinspiration with us.

We know we need to get the message out there– to school heads, governors, teachers, cooks,parents and to children – essentially everyonewho can help share ‘What Works Well’. Here iswhat we would love you to do:1. Get the message out to schools and the

general public – if you have a website, amagazine, or YouTube channel, then share thenews with a direct link towww.schoolfoodplan.com/www

2. Get schools to share their ‘What Works Well’examples – can you encourage schools with agreat food story to tell to upload and sharetheir journey on the ‘What Works Well’website?

3. Make sure the website has the best resourcesand information – do you or yourorganisation have useful information orresources for schools that you would likeWhat Works Well to share and promote?

GET INVOLVEDVisit us: www.schoolfoodplan.com/wwwEmail us: info@schoolfoodplan.comTweet us: @SchfoodplanFacebook us:www.facebook.com/SchoolFoodPlan

SHARING IDEAS

10 | SUMMER 2014

On 13th December 2014, newlegislation will be coming intoeffect that could cause a stir forthe foodservice industry if notplanned for accordingly. Titledthe EU Food InformationRegulation, or FIR for short, it willimpact all foodservice operators.From large hotel chains to smallindependent pubs and from cityhospitals to rural primary schools,everyone serving food needs tobe prepared.

At Acquire we identified the issues relating toFIR some time ago and are acting accordingly,by working to integrate all the necessaryinformation into our online sustainablesourcing platform Green10 and its associateddashboard. Indeed, one of our keycollaborative focuses for the next eight monthsis the incorporation of allergen tools into G10.As part of the development of Green10 all ourkey suppliers were contacted within 6 monthsof development commencing and asked tosubmit their product attribute data in the areasof allergens, nutrition, country of origin andlifestyle and assurance. This covered over 130suppliers and equates (at present) to over5,800,000 attributes. This number is growingdaily as we keep reaching out to our suppliers,

as well as suppliers outside the Acquirepurchasing arena.

Nutritional data has also been fed into theepsys recipe system so clients can see anoverview of the approximate nutritionalcontent per 100g of all their recipes. The sametype of functionality is planned for allergens.The standard range of allergen warningscontains 26 different variants, from “containspeanuts” to “contains celery” and most otherbase ingredients in between! The task oftagging each possible allergen, additive,modification or assurance/lifestyleaccreditation was vast so we broke down thekey and commonly used tags and it’s thesetags that are currently deployed within G10dashboards.

Areyou FIRready?

How to prepare:

Understand the legislationThere are 3 parts of the legislation that will directlyimpact any organisation catering for the public.We’ve summarised these below.

ALLERGENS: Information on all 14 of the mostcommon allergens in every product or menu itemsold must be available to the consumer. Currently,there is no requirement to provide allergeninformation for food purchased withoutpackaging or wrapped upon a customer’srequest in supermarkets, delis, cafésand restaurants. However, FIR willrequire you to be able to informcustomers of any of the 14common allergens that maybe in the food they arepurchasing.

INGREDIENTS: Thelegislation also states that alist of all ingredients must beeasily accessible for diners.This information should beavailable for every menu item incase a consumer has a query.

INFORMATION: Products and menuitems must have enough detailedinformation to ensure the consumer is not misled.This means the name of the food needs to beaccompanied by other information, to detail anycharacterising features.

Make menu information easily accessibleThe legislation does not require caterers to displayan ingredients list or any allergens within menus oron boards, but the information needs to be availableif the customer asks for it. One way to manage thisis by collecting allergen and ingredient informationabout your menu and then building an allergen andingredient database or file for all recipes andaccompaniments. It’s also important to have aprocess for keeping this up to date. We are workingon a system that will allow customers to access allrelevant information relating to a menu item througha single tablet on the counter. The informationdisplayed on the tablet would be directly integratedto the caterer’s e-trading system (epsys orFoodTradeDirect) which will hold all the relevantproduct information.

Explain the legislation to your staffIt’s essential that all staff know how to respond to acustomer query about ingredients and allergens.Firstly they should be made aware that it is a legalrequirement to provide customers with information,and secondly they need to know how and wherethey can find the details the customer needs. Eitherholding a file which details all of the dishes andingredients in a place easily accessible to staff orusing the tablet based solution described above willmake it easy for them to handle queries.

Check menu descriptionsMake sure any menu description is not

misleading to the consumer. Onyour menu you should always use

the name and description ofthe food as it is labelled onthe packaging. We wouldrecommend that you checkwith your local tradingstandards on how youshould describe any itemson your menu that you are

unsure of.

Keeping up to dateThere are still some additional

requirements to be agreed by theEuropean Commission, which relate to

country-of-origin information on products.We are keeping a close eye on things as theyemerge and will be providing clear updates andguidance on these changes as decisions are made.

Where to find out more about food labellingMore information and advice about food labellingcan also be found on the Food Standards Agencywebsite www.food.gov.uk

SUMMER 2014 | 11

1

2

3

• Celery • Cereals• Crustaceans• Eggs• Fish• Lupin • Milk • Molluscs

• Mustard • Nuts • Peanuts• Sesame • Soybeans• Sulphur dioxide

and sulphates

The 14 major allergens

FoodTradeDirect lets you trade with all your suppliers and manage associated invoicing from your own secure website. We work with you to select and set-up the best supply arrangements, you order online and the goods arrive at your door. Simple!

All your suppliers. All in one place.

FoodTradeDirect is owned and operated by Acquire Services Limited. www.acquireservices.co.uk

What we offerHuge supplier choice

Really competitive pricing with no contract

Always on, in the cloud 24/7

Expert buying team for the best prices and the safest

supply chain

Management of all suppliers including issue resolution

Invoice management services – saving you time and

bank charges

Powerful reporting tools to help you understand your

buying activity

Simple sustainability performance dashboard

Fast implementation

Try FoodTradeDirectWhy not choose one supply category and give

us a try? If you like what you find then add more

suppliers as you need to!

No feesNo commitmentNo downsides

Working with us is simple. To give us a few details

about your needs call us on 0800 230 0226 or

visit foodtradedirect.co.uk