Last September, the Government banned junk food from school menus in England. However, pupils in the Bradford district are a healthy step ahead of their peers across the country. DAN WEBBER reports.

Bradford Council's in-house caterer, Education Contract Services (ECS), is gaining a national reputation for its commitment to quality.

ECS already sources 25 per cent of all produce from farms and growers within a 30-mile radius of Bradford.

And within the next two years, it aims to raise this figure to 40 per cent.

Operations manager Roger Sheard said sourcing high-grade, locally produced and grown ingredients had been the key to its success.

He said: "We decided to look at local sourcing because we felt we could differentiate from the private sector.

"Also, we wanted to add so much more to the school day.

"Beef was being flown in from Brazil, lamb from New Zealand and we also used imported fruit and veg.

"So in 2002 we received two small grants from Defra in the region of £1,500 to help explore a strategy to source local products."

ECS staff worked in partnership with Bradford University public health nutritionist Ann Hobbiss and the National Farmer's Union to find quality producers in the district.

And, as expected, there was no shortage.

Mr Sheard said: "We looked at how we could engage with local suppliers.

"We had a Meet the Buyer event so that producers could come and find out more about us, and we examined how we could change our approach.

"The suppliers in return were looking for longer contracts, smaller tenders and changes to food specifications."

Four years on, ECS is now the market leader in public sector food provision and has played host to a series of Government representatives keen to discover how school meals in the district have been radically changed.

Mr Sheard said: "We have introduced seasonality, smaller delivery routes, and moved to fresh rather than frozen foods. We have also moved to all-locally sourced meat and poultry.

"It has improved traceability - we can now see which farm meat has come from - and it has improved the confidence of parents.

"This approach also supports the local economy and is better for the environment as it has significantly reduced food miles.

"And significantly, the food on the menu is fresh - which has contributed to improving the appearance of the food and its nutritional value - and gives us the chance to work with schools and link them with local farms.

"It's all about cooking, shopping and living in a sustainable way."

ECS staff run "look and cook" and fruit and veg sessions within Bradford schools.

Nutritionist Ann Hobbiss said local producers had a vital role to play in improving the future health of the city by ensuring its children started life with a healthy diet.

Dr Hobbiss, who is chairman of the Bradford Food Network, said: "Being involved in school dinners is much more important than just what a child has to eat on a particular day, it is has a profound impact on their health and therefore the future health of the people of Bradford."

ECS will spend about £4.6 million this year on produce. And it is set to sign a contract which will see halal meat supplied from a producer within the 30-mile boundary in a deal valued at about £156,000.

All potatoes and other vegetables, including organic carrots, all meat, all poultry and all bread are now produced within the 30-mile boundary.

Mr Sheard said: "The biggest changes have taken place in the last two to three years.

"Sourcing food locally has really been a key driver in the transformation of the district's school meals.

"We are a local service provider but we have a corporate social responsibility to feed children.

"But that goes far beyond the plate."

Barry Kershaw, chairman of Hipperholme-based Kershaw-Fisher Ltd, co-ordinates the supply of meat produce to schools in the district.

He said: "The meat produce you can find in the Bradford and West Yorkshire district is as good as anything you can find anywhere in the world.

"A lot of meat from here goes down to Smithfield, the main market in London.

"With the system we now have you can follow the produce all the way down the line.

"This system has improved recognition - we know where the produce has come from.

"Keeping it local also improves the economy and ensures jobs are kept in the district."

Councillor Andrew Thornton (Lab, Royds) Bradford Council's executive member for regeneration and housing, which includes school meal provision, said ECS had been instrumental in helping to improve the health of young people throughout the district.

"Their work continues pupils' awareness of healthy living as well as the impact food miles can have on the environment," he said.

"Quite a few Government representatives have been up to see ECS and recognise that they are pushing out boundaries.

"Their work has undoubtedly played a key role in a thriving local economy.

"They deserve to be congratulated."

ECS executive chef Dominic Hirst, 31, joined from Harvey Nichols in Leeds, where he was sous chef for more than five years.

Mr Hirst is due to visit all ECS schools to carry out cookery demonstrations for parents and pupils and develop their practical culinary skills. Despite the success of ECS, Mr Sheard said the company was determined not to rest on its laurels. He said: "We now really want to connect with parents and get them involved."

e-mail: dan.webber@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

FACT FILE
  • ECS cooks 42,000 meals a day or 7.5 million every school year.
  • It serves a total of 21 secondary and 186 primary schools.
  • Schools are not just located in the Bradford district. It also serves secondary school pupils in Wakefield, Northumberland and Newcastle.
  • ECS is based in Beswick Close, Laisterdyke, Bradford.