National food standards in the UK are facing an overhaul, and the Soil Association sees Bury as the best example of how councils can deliver healthier, fresher and more sustainable meals
A report from the Soil Association has heaped praise on the city of Bury for “rapidly reshaping its local food system across 56 schools, strengthening local supply chains, increasing access to fresh and organic ingredients, and putting public health, climate action and social value at the heart of school catering”.
The government is currently consulting on proposed changes to the School Food Standards, with a stronger focus on health, including more fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and fibre, and stricter limits on less healthy options.
“Bury’s experience shows how these ambitions can be delivered in practice when school food is treated not simply as a catering contract, but as part of a wider local strategy for children’s health, community resilience and sustainable food,” the Soil Association stated.
Through its work with Soil Association programmes, Bury has achieved Food for Life Served Here Gold across 56 schools, Sustainable Food Places Silver, and Green Kitchen Standard certification, which Andrew Cowan, senior operations manager at Bury Catering Service, called a “ringing endorsement of all the hard work put in by the team”.
Menus now include 25 per cent organic produce. Bury Council has worked with suppliers including Organic North and Dunsters Farm to get higher-quality food onto the public plate, support regional supply chains and reduce environmental impact.
Procurement changes also generated a one-off saving of £50,000, which was reinvested into improving the local food system further.
Caron Longden, head of business development at Soil Association Food, commented: “Working with the team at Bury has been inspiring in so many ways. At a time when the country is looking again at school food standards, Bury shows what is possible when food is put at the heart of strategy development and treated as a way to improve lives across a whole community.”
“Bury is setting a shining example of how healthy and sustainable food can bring communities together and build local resilience,” added Amit Dattani, director of Soil Association Food. “Putting power into local people’s hands is proving to be a win-win-win for children’s health, local businesses and the environment.”
