He said: “It’s all about local, seasonal, sustainable, and affordable. We need to build a better Britain on our bellies. Farmers struggle with the weather, with prices, and from changing Government policy, but we do have public support.
“So we need more from the Government to invest in children – not feeding them rubbish, showing them where food comes from and how to cook it. We could save the NHS billions in the future.
“It’s about collaboration. We need everyone sitting down together. Farmers need to be proud of what they do, and we need support from the public sector start to find solutions.”
David Foad, editor of Public Sector Catering Magazine, chaired a six-person State of the industry panel debate at the Public Sector Catering Expo.
The topics discussed included the recruitment and cost related challenges, the Public Sector Catering Alliance’s rejection to the Food and Drink Sector Council, the growing concerns around obesity in children, the Bang In Some Beans campaign, how to make the most of the Chef of the Year winners and the importance of training.
The panel debate involved Michael Hales from LACA (The School Food People), Nicky Joiner from Assist FM, Jayne Jones from the Public Sector Catering Alliance, Sophie Murray from the National Association of Care Catering, Amanda Pettingill from TUCO and Iain Robertson from the Hospital Caterers Association.
The PSC Expo, which is free to attend, is the only national event to bring together chefs and caterers from across all areas of the public sector – from schools, hospitals, universities, catering colleges, the social care sector, prisons and the military.
Meanwhile David Fradgley, head of marketing at Aramark UK, used new research from the catering and support services provider to highlight key trends among Gen Z that operators need to be aware of.
He said there are 10m of these 16-30-year-olds in the UK and they have likes, dislikes and experiences that make them a discrete demographic.
Fradgley commented: “They have grown up using their mobile to pay, comfortable with voice recognition technology, they like personalisation, will be just as happy with iced tea as an alcoholic drink, and are happy to follow influencers online.
“They want functional foods, they are protein-powered, like to add a twist to foods. They are snackers and grazers. Two-thirds say they see sustainability and the environment as important, but they are cautious with their money and won’t always be prepared to pay the extra for it.”
Ramin Ebrahimnejad, business development manager at the Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC) within the James Hutton Group, hosted a session on The Protein Future. He stressed the importance of cross-sector partnership, stating it was ‘essential’ as no single organisation can transform the food system alone.
He explained: “Public sector catering sits at the frontline of dietary change. Together we can stabilize supply, improve nutrition and build a climate-ready UK food system.”
Ebrahimnejad highlighted the new protein sources included plant-based protein, insects, microbial protein, aquatic protein and cellular protein, which he said needed more consumer acceptance. He said that if insects were not eaten by humans, there is a ‘huge potential’ for them to be used as animal feed.
Today (19th November) the Public Sector Catering Kitchen will feature cookery demonstrations from current LACA School Chef of the Year (SCOTY) Erin Ward, 2024 NHS Chef of the Year winners Manuela Miccoli and Alejandro Hernandez as well as 2025 NACC Care Chef of the Year winner Ilona Tomza.
These demonstrations will all take place on day two of the PSC Expo and will be hosted by Hairy Biker Si King. During each demonstration Si King will talk to each of them about their role in helping to feed the nation.