OVERVIEW

The annual public sector spend on food and food services is estimated to be over £2billion. A great deal of progress has been made in improving aspects such as nutrition, food safety and food quality in recent years. It is vital not to allow standards to drop in the era of efficiency savings introduced by the new coalition government. Where can efficiencies be achieved in public sector catering? How can you ensure high quality, nutritious food in these lean times? Catering in the Public Sector: maintaining standards will address these questions and more.

The majority of public expenditure on food is undertaken by schools and colleges, prisons, the armed services and the NHS. Defra has done a huge amount of work to lead the way in providing locally sourced, sustainable and nutritious food for staff and visitors, emphasising the need for sustainable food procurement. Sustainability is a key factor: environmental and economic. Effective waste management is essential, and with over £1m worth of food thrown away every year by the NHS alone, there is a great deal of work to be done.

Pre-election, the Conservatives supported the push to buy British, and this strong drive towards local procurement is likely to be important. Procuring collaboratively can save money and thus increase efficiency, and this conference aims to give delegates the chance to hear from the National Audit Office about the best ways in which to do this. Strategic procurement of goods and services, at the same time as minimising waste, is the key to efficiently run catering services.

Food safety must continue to receive support across the industry, as well as the ongoing battle to increase the consumption of healthy food. Initiatives such as Sustain's 'Good Food on the Public Plate' project are instrumental in disseminating best practice in these areas. Public sector caterers associations also have a huge amount of expertise to share, and this event encourages participation from organisations such as LACA, HCA and TUCO.

At Catering for the Public Sector: maintaining standards, delegates will have the opportunity to hear from key speakers about new ideas and opportunities, as well as the latest innovative products and services.