LACA Member Login
Dates for your Diary:
06-09-08
Scottish Food Fortnight
Across Scotland
06-09-08
Highland Feast
various venues across the Highlands
06-09-08
Soil Association Organic Fortnight 2008
Harbourside, Bristol
09-09-08
Managing Your Pest Control Contract – Acheta Training Course
The Mill House, Middleton, Staffs
10-09-08
Eastern Region Committee Meeting
10-09-08
London & South East Regional Committee Meeting
10-09-08
Eastern Region: Committee meeting
11-09-08
South West: Regional Committee Meeting
11-09-08
NACC Conference & Exhibition
Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel
12-09-08
Ludlow Marches Food & Drink Festival
Ludlow, Shropshire
17-09-08
Mock Trial 2008
Warwick Conference Park, Coventry
17-09-08
Anglia Region Committee Meeting
19-09-08
The York Festival of Food and Drink 2008
20-09-08
British Food Fortnight
Nationwide
20-09-08
Mold Food & Drink Festival
New Street (Somerfield) Car Park
20-09-08
The Belgrave Hall Good Food Fair
Belgrave Hall Museum & Gardens Church Road, off Thurcaston Road Leicester, LE4 5PE
LACA SURVEY REVEALS MAJOR DOWNTURN IN SECONDARY SCHOOL MEALS
One of the key findings of a new national Survey into school meals by the sector’s leading representative body, the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA) is that school meal numbers have dropped in over 75% of local authorities. The results of the 2007 School Meals Survey (England) are being announced today (Friday 13 July) to LACA Members at the organisation’s Annual National Conference at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole, NEC.
In Secondary Schools, decreases of over 30% are being reported, particularly where schools have removed vending machines. The average decline in Secondary school meals is 18% since 2004.
70% of LACA Members in England, representing 12,000 schools, responded to the 2007 Survey¹. The organisation has over 1100 Members, 700 of whom are catering managers in both local authority and private sector catering. Of the 150 LEA’s in England, LACA Members are responsible for the services in 135 of them which equates to 90% of all schools.
The 2007 Survey updates the research conducted by LACA in 2004. Since that time, school caterers have experienced significant challenges in delivering a school meals service all of which has greatly impacted on school meal uptake in both Primary and Secondary Schools. Initially, in early 2005, parents reacted to the effect of the Jamie Oliver TV Programmes and then subsequently, the new Food-based Standards for School Lunches which came into force in 2006, has seen the introduction of healthier menus and the removal of the popular snack foods from lunchtime dining rooms.
Although there was a dramatic drop in meal numbers in Primary Schools during 2006, the new 2007 Survey which was conducted between May – June, appears to indicate that Primary school meal uptake may be turning the corner. Meal numbers appear to be picking up and there seems to be an encouraging reversal of the previous downward trend. The decrease in Primary school meals experienced by LACA members was around 12% in 2005/6 but has now reduced to an average of 8%.
One of the key factors that will be impacting on school meal prices and consequently, parents’ pockets is that the costs involved with producing school meals have risen significantly. As a result of the new school meal Standards requiring greater use of fresh ingredients cooked from scratch, the average food costs for Primary school meals has gone up from 40p in 2004 to 60p in 2007 whilst in Secondary schools, it has increased from 56p in 2004 to 74p in 2007. With food requiring greater preparation time and more staff, labour costs for pay and training have also shot up. All of these factors have seen school meal prices soar. In Primary Schools, the average price per head was £1.37 and in 2007, is now £1.64 which is an average rise of 20% in three years.
However, in Secondary Schools, whilst the food costs have also risen sharply in order to provide healthier food choices in a similar way to Primary Schools, students have reacted to the new regulations by spending less at school. The average spend has dropped from £1.18 per head in 2004 to 97p now.
Despite an investment¹ from the Government to bring about the transformation agenda for school meals, most Local Authorities are struggling to cover the costs involved of making the improvements required by the new regulations. In 2004, nearly all respondents either broke even or made a small surplus which was ploughed back into the school catering service. However, in 2007, the picture is one of considerable concern over the future viability of the school meals service, particularly in Secondary Schools. 91% of local authorities have reported that they are either breaking even (42%) or in deficit (51%). Few are now making any surplus at all.
Other key Survey findings include:
- 27% of Secondary students who are entitled to free school meals, do not take up their entitlement
- Over 50% of school kitchens need capital investment whilst 10% need to be completely re-built
- 40% of Local Authorities have used their allocation of the Government investment intended to partially fund the introduction of the new 2006 Food-based Standards for
School Lunches and to reduce their deficit whilst 39% used it to employ extra labour.
- As to the proposed future funding, 56% of Local Authorities anticipate using the money to further subsidise food costs whilst 41% expect to use it for the additional labour that will be required to produce the new menus, particularly when the new Nutrient-based Standards are introduced in 2008 (Primary) and 2009 (Secondary)
Commenting on the findings of LACA’s 2007 School Meals Survey in England, LACA Chairman, Sandra Russell says: “Our 2007 Survey findings confirm the feedback LACA has been receiving from its Members over the past year and reflects our worst fears about the future viability of the school meals service in our Secondary Schools. We cannot expect to reverse an embedded eating culture overnight nor can we convert teenagers to a healthier regime by force. We are in danger of the Secondary school meals service fragmenting or dying altogether if we are not careful”.
“We must see common sense prevail. We, as school caterers, are being expected to provide a welfare service whilst still having to operate as a commercial venture. Whilst LACA and its Members are totally supportive of the long term aims of the new Standards, we believe that the introduction of such radical changes to young people’s dietary habits is too draconian and too fast. The service is under immense pressure and already being seen by many private contractors as a non-viable operation. Our concern is that soon it may be for public sector caterers too”.
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Contact: Hazel Green, National Press Officer, LACA Mobile: 07950 007169 E-m: HaGreen7@aol.com
Note to Editors:
¹ Some schools do their own catering and might not be LACA Members. As a result, they are not covered by this Survey.
² The Government announced an investment of £220 million in 2005 to cover a three year period from 2005 – 2008 for school meal improvements but then added a further investment of £240 million to run from 2008 – 2011. The latter was intended to be ring-fenced to purely cover food costs. However, at the time of the original investment in 2005, LACA pointed out that the spread over the first three years, £220m equated to an increase of just 12p per meal per day or the equivalent of just two cherry tomatoes.
As a result of conflicting reports on the effect that various events have had on the school meals service, LACA believes that, as the leading professional body representing the majority of front line school meal providers, it is in the best position to provide a definitive insight into the dynamics of the school meals market. Through its membership base, it has access to the most reliable information on the latest trends and developments in education catering.
LACA Members who are responsible for either the supply or commissioning of meal services were asked to participate in this Survey between May – June 2004. The results of the Survey cover services provided by private contractors, council direct services (DSO) and where possible, school which operate their own catering. Source information on roll was taken from figures produced by the DfES based on the Census taken in January 2007.
