With more than 16,000 schools requiring 200 tonnes of fruit and vegetables for two million children every day, the pressure on participating suppliers and distributors is considerable. However, thanks to a tightly structured system, the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (SFVS) has been running fairly smoothly by all accounts and fresh produce companies across the country have been queuing up to get involved.
“We have been involved from the outset,” says Capespan’s trading director Martin Dunnett. “Last year we supplied apples and pears and this year we are supplying easy-peel citrus for three regions. We have increased our involvement, with the addition of the South and South East and will now, as of April, take on the North East as well.”
For John Finn, director of London distributor, H&B Hawkes Ltd, accommodating the scheme was a natural progression from his existing contracts. “We have been NHS and school suppliers for years so Mike (Tiddy, NHS PASA purchasing manager) came to us and we’ve been involved from the word go. We are now distributing to various boroughs across London.”
Prescott Thomas Ltd, a distributor based at London’s New Spittalfields Market, is similarly contracted to four boroughs across the capital. Having started with the Barking and Dagenham contract, the company now caters for more than 200 schools in Redbridge, Waltham Forest and Newham as well. According to director Pete Thomas, a scheme such as the SFVS requires a disciplined and dedicated process of organisation. He says the industry is demanding increasing levels of certification, such as the BRC credited Global Higher Level Accreditation Certificate he has been awarded, from companies hoping to be considered. “We have taken on extra staff and vehicles for the scheme. We have two people in the warehouse checking the condition of the fruit and making sure the correct fruit leaves on the correct day, and admin staff to manage the scheme, because the calendar can change at any time.”
Redbridge AFI distributes produce for the scheme from a number of depots across the country. With 70 vehicles making around 12,000 deliveries to between 350 and 1,300 schools per depot, the method of structuring the business is fundamental, says Richard Clements, account manager for the scheme. “We operate each of our contracts as separate discreet businesses, providing a kind of bespoke service to the schools.”
The separate contracts for suppliers and distributors now expire annually in the spring for renewal before the following autumn. However, despite committing to the programme for a number of contracts for the entire year, each supplier will be involved as and when the supply calendar co-ordinated by NHS PASA dictates. The calendar details the daily fruit requirements several weeks in advance but is subject to last minute changes depending on the availability of produce.
“All in all it is a very simple scheme if you stand back and look at it - getting fruit to the schools for use the next day.” says Finn. “But when you consider the logistical side it starts to look a bit more complicated. We have to be able to change and adapt to the delivery schedule. But since the work has been contracted out to mainline suppliers few problems have arisen, he says. “There was a shortage of bananas some weeks ago so we had to switch to easy peelers. But the good thing about the scheme is it is planned so well in advance that if there is a shortage the suppliers just sort out another fruit.”
Thomas agrees that in general the scheme has been managed very successfully. The fruit has been top quality and schools have rung him personally to say how pleased they are with the process. “We have to make sure that the job is done to perfection,” he says. “It is in all our interests to make sure the children receive the fruit in the right condition and ready to eat - from the grower to the supplier to the distributor to the children.”
Dunnett shares this sentiment. “There is a zero tolerance element to the supply,” he says. “With every child in the school class needing a piece of fruit, you can’t have a problem with one or two per cent. It is finely tuned to take account of exactly how many children there are in the school. And we have dedicated suppliers and staff testing the fruit to the highest level. You have to be doubly vigilant when you are working with children in making sure the standards that you’d want for your own kids apply to every other child.”
Any initial teething problems are gradually being phased out, he says. “The distributors have become more in tune with the demands of the school so that they can enjoy the fruit at its best and the school teachers have begun to understand how they can integrate fruit into the daily running of the school.”
A nation-wide report published in November concluded pears have not been very popular among the children. Complaints of over or under ripeness have been common and the fruit is not currently being included on the calendar. However, according to suppliers and distributors this is not surprising. “If you think that you’ve got to get two million pears of the right size all to the same ripeness into the schools for consumption the same or next day, it’s a logistical nightmare,” says Finn. “Pears are always going to be a problem in this business because they are not as easy to handle as, say apples, which can be stored pretty easily. Pears have to be just right or the kids won’t eat them.” Last summer’s trials of strawberries presented similar considerations, according to Finn but he retains his enthusiasm. “It’s the nature of the object and that is part of the education process, but I very much enjoy the daily challenge of it all.”
Dunnett agrees that the vagaries of nature will naturally have a bearing on the scheme. “We are subject to all the same forces affecting the rest of the fresh produce industry - what’s in season, the climate - for instance, the recent problems in Spain naturally affected availability,” he says. “But that provides a lot of talking points for the children in terms of the nature of this business and how much is influenced by outside factors when you are not dealing with a manufactured product.”
However, there are other less obvious obstacles which have had to be considered, according to Thomas. “We have had to accommodate schools closing for religious holidays like Eed and Diwali. The problem is that the actual date of the events depends on the moon so we’ve had to make sure we find out about them far enough in advance,” he says.
The participants all agree that feedback has generally been positive so far. “It has a very high uptake - almost one hundred per cent - and none have pulled out which reinforces its success,” says Clements. “If it was difficult or kids didn’t like the fruit it simply wouldn’t work. It is great to be involved with something that has no negatives, which promotes such a positive message.” Thomas agrees that the advantages of the scheme strongly outweigh any disadvantages. “Everyone is working to offer as many different types of produce as possible but the suppliers put a huge incentive on locally sourced produce which is great for the UK,” he adds. “And it is a great promotion for 5 A Day.”
Dickon Poole, group marketing manager at JP Fruit Distributors, underlines the central importance of education in the scheme. “It is generally felt that this is a fantastic scheme for the development of children’s eating habits and future health, which the produce industry enthusiastically supports,” he says. “The outstanding issue is still the further education and communication of the health benefits of fruit. Giving away fruit is one thing but changing consumer habits is a much harder task. Just being good for you is not enough - eating fruit has to be ‘cool’.” To this end JP Fruit has developed a new corporate theme for its business under the banner of ‘Love Fruit’ accompanied by the message ‘Have you had your five a day’ and the DoH logo. The theme is now on all of its lorries, used in banners at schools and other local activities. Having picked up the first London contract for bananas, JP Fruit now also supplies them to the South East, as well as easy peel citrus to the East Midlands and the East of England.
Finn highlights the necessity of communicating at every level of the operation. “I like the fact that there is a lot of liaising between the suppliers, distributors, and the area co-ordinators which is the best way to be.” he says. “You have to have excellent communication for something like this. He says participating in both regional and national scheme meetings is useful since keeping abreast of methods used elsewhere is important. However, there are some concerns which are region-specific. “The problems in London are specific since the logistical problem of traffic is endemic.” As such, Finn says the current system of delivering to the schools at least a day in advance of consumption is necessary to ensure schools are not waiting on a delivery at any time, and the children’s daily routine is not affected by unforeseen circumstances such as excess traffic.
Petit Forestier, the UK’s largest supplier of refrigerated vehicles for contract hire and short term rental, has supplied refrigerated vans for the SFVS for more than two years and its vehicles are now used by several companies throughout the country. “Petit Forestier are able to offer flexible contract terms for our vans, so that companies delivering fruit to schools can concentrate on their core business,” says marketing manager Rebecca Bailey. “Our experience with the leading players in this field has resulted in a solid understanding of the nature of fruit to schools contracts, which means that Petit Forestier is at the forefront of developments to ensure the smooth running of its customers’ fleets. The company operates nationally, which, along with the option of replacement vehicles in the event of a breakdown, ensures that they keep customers’ vehicles running smoothly wherever they are delivering.”
The participants all hope to be involved as long as the scheme continues although they appreciate they may face changes in the government’s plans as a result of the election in May, as well as increasing competition in acquiring contracts. Finn retains a positive outlook, however. “It’s great to get the company’s name out there and it gives me a lot of satisfaction to see the right stuff going out to the schools,” he says. “As the scheme gets more publicity, more people will want to get involved, but competition is always to be expected in these things.”
The possibility of extending the scheme to other age groups would be well received, Finn adds. “It would be good for the trade and the kids if they roll out the scheme to nurseries and senior schools. The only problems would be the cost and it is possible we might not have enough fruit.” Thomas suggests that gradually extending the age range year-on year might be a viable approach.
“The scheme is consistently looking at ways of cutting costs but it will get to the stage where they can’t do any more and that will show the real costs involved,” says Finn. With the congestion charge he is already paying approximately £25 a week and additional volumes would require taking on more lorries. However he says he is always keen to face the proposition of accommodating more work.
Hopes for the future of the scheme are generally very positive. “We continue to be involved and enthusiastic and hope to expand our involvement in the future, possibly doing more out of the depots we’ve got or possibly expanding to other areas,” says Clements. “We will evaluate the tenders as they come up to decide if there are benefits we can offer.”
Thomas is similarly keen to sustain his involvement and thinks the scheme should be given wider promotional support. “The prospects of the scheme are immense and we feel honoured and proud to be a part of it,” he says. “But it is not being shouted about in the press or on the tv and it should be because it is a fantastic asset for our industry.”
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