When it was awarded the Soil Association’s highest Food for Life Catering Mark due to its use of 94% fresh food in its Cypress cluster of schools in Croydon, Pabulum was keen to explore parents’ understanding of some of the key food and health words it used to promote its school menus and dishes.
So the caterer commissioned YouGov to survey more than 2,000 adults to find out what the average person thought.
Nelson Williams, managing director of Pabulum, says: “We put a huge emphasis on fresh food and provenance, and this is evident in our achieving the Food for Life gold award in five primary schools in Croydon, where we serve more than 2,000 pupils a day with meals prepared using 94% fresh ingredients.
“But this study has shown there are still some mixed messages and opinions about what terms related to food and health actually mean.”
For instance, there was no consensus about the word ‘fresh’. Asked to choose one or more from a list of definitions, 49% said it meant food bought from a local market in the morning; 47% said it suggested produce that came straight from the farm; 40% thought it was home-grown and 38% said it was food prepared in the kitchen from raw ingredients such as meat, fish and vegetables.
Only 10% thought the word applied to items on meat and vegetable counters from a local, branded supermarket.
When asked about the term ‘made from fresh ingredients’, there was a similarly wide range of answers – 39% saying it meant freshly prepared and 8% believing it referred to the use of seasonal produce. And despite a number of options to choose from, almost a quarter (24%) said the statements provided did not meet their understanding of the term.
The use of the word ‘healthy’ in relation to food drew another picture of confusion in people’s minds. Fewer than two thirds (60%) thought it referred to food low in salt, fat and sugar; 54% said it was food that formed part of a balanced a diet; 49% also ticked the option believing it was food that was good for you and 41% felt it meant meals free from additives such as colourings.
Only 39% of respondents chose the option that it related to having your 5-a-day of fruit and vegetables.
The term ‘balanced diet’ also caused a difference of opinion, with just over half of respondents (52%) saying it meant eating a variety of foods but none in excess, while 20% said it was taking regular exercise and eating a range of different foods. Only 5% chose the option that a balanced diet was eating your 5-a-day of fruit and vegetables.
The research also highlighted that young people themselves still need help in this area, with 29% of parents or grandparents of school-aged children saying their child had previously asked “Why can’t I spend more time playing on my computer?”, while 28% had been asked “Why can’t I have sweets today?”.
And children are still questioning the 5-a-day message, with almost a quarter of parents (23%) saying their child had said “Please may I leave my vegetables as you gave me too many”.
However, it was a big thumbs-up for school meals generally. Around seven in ten (71%) of parents preferred their child to have a school meal that had a good selection of menu items prepared from mainly fresh ingredients. Just 19% said they would prefer to make their child a packed lunch to ensure that had something they would eat.
Williams adds: “It was really refreshing to see the percentage of parents backing school meals at a time when many children are trying them for the first time with the introduction of universal infant free school meals.
“A recent study from the School Food Plan highlighted that school meals provide 25–33% of a child’s nutrition needs for a day, so it’s vital parents are seeing school meals as the first choice.
“We’ve worked hard to create awareness with parents on our fresh ingredients and how we opt for quality ingredients.”
“Health education is a key part of what we do at Pabulum, and with ten development chefs all working on creating fresh and healthy meals, we’re proud of what we’ve achieved,” Williams continues.
“However, we recognise there is still more work to be done in the sector and have put plans in place to help schools, pupils and families. This is vital for the health of future generations, and initiatives such as Healthy Schools for London is a great opportunity for Pabulum to become more involved.”
One of the main requirements for Food for Life Gold is 75% home-made food; Pabulum has achieved 94% fresh food, does not use frozen meat and has a 19% food spend on organic produce.
Pabulum runs continuous training provided by Richard Tiley, who is their Food For Life Champion.
Internal procurement and supply chain management changes were required for this Food for Life Gold to ensure correct traceability with British Premium Meats and Coastline.
Tiley adds: “There has been a huge amount of work done behind the scenes at Pabulum to source fresh food, and this is the driving force behind all our meals and menu planning. We believe pupils deserve the highest-quality food at break and lunchtime to give them the right energy to concentrate better in their afternoon lessons.
“Our development chefs work very closely with clusters and individual schools to source ingredients locally, so we were delighted this work was recognised by the Food for Life team.
“The results of this research will be shared across the business to look at our messaging and how we can ensure these terms are fully understood.”