News

Michael Hales, chief executive of Juniper Ventures, which provides school meals and ancillary services at schools in East London, has just formally taken over as chair of LACA. To mark the occasion he answers some questions fired at him by School Caterer magazine:

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your background in school meals?

Michael Hales: I seem to have always been in school meals. After leaving Westminster, Vincent Square, in 1985 and after four years of working in sport, leisure and two years as operations manager at Crystal Palace National Stadium I wanted to expand my CV in another sector and secured a role with the ILEA (Inner London Education Authority) in Tower Hamlets.

I worked my way up the ladder and headed up the catering, cleaning and meals on wheels operations there for eight years before seeing the opportunity in next door in Newham. I moved in 2016 and we started trading as Juniper in 2018.

Q: Can you describe your current role?

MH: I am chief executive officer (CEO) of Juniper Ventures Limited, which is a Local Authority Trading Company (LATCo) which delivers about 20,000 hot, healthy and nutritious meals each day across Newham and an increasing number of neighbouring boroughs as well as education and public building cleaning services across Newham and beyond. During the pandemic we also started providing health and safety advisory services, part of our work which has since blossomed.

Q: What are some of the main challenges you face in this?

MH: Like all school caterers, the main challenge focusses on funding. As a LATCo we need to be commercial minded, but are very fortunate that our shareholder does not consider financial performance as the single metric of success.

We operate under a number of core values which focus on community wealth and sustainability. But also, as a limited company, we need to ensure we continue to be a going concern and meet out legal obligations as directors.

So that has meant food inflation, the high rises in London Living Wages (which we pay as a minimum) in an ever-increasingly commercial environment, along with the recent, crippling increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions, have all been a real challenge.

Q: When did you join LACA and why?

MH: I joined in 1994 and attended my first conference in Brighton. I found it fascinating to see so many suppliers, and to have the opportunity to network with my peers.

What was really great (though expensive) was getting my manager’s room with its very nice view as she was unable to attend (for those who remember her, the lovely but occasionally scary and outspoken Isobel Cattermole). When news spread of my good fortune I found Roger Kellow et al, had joined me late at night to help empty the mini bar. Happy days!

Q: You have held positions within LACA, including a term as national chair, can you tell us about that experience and how it might help you in the year ahead?

MH: I have been involved in LACA for some 35 years at a regional level and as National Chair. This experience stands me in good stead I feel, as I know what to expect and can hopefully hit the ground running. I also have a wide network of industry colleagues and contacts and this will give me the opportunity to make changes at what I feel is a crucial time for the sector and LACA itself.

Q: What are your immediate thoughts about taking on the role of LACA Chair again?

MH: I have always felt that a single year as Chair is not sufficient to make change and have a real impact, but I also appreciate it is a voluntary position. It is essential to have the backing of your business and also a great team working with you to allow you to focus on the demands the role has on you.

I am excited about the year ahead and cannot wait to start the lobbying of Government Ministers and MPs to try to secure the right funding and correct new standards for the sector, whilst also visiting each region to hear first-hand their challenges and how LACA can help them.

LACA is, after all, a membership organisation and we need to ensure all our members receive real value.

Q: Tell us about what you plan to focus on in the year ahead

MH: This new academic year brings the biggest change to school food in over a decade: Free School Meals will be extended to every child whose parents receive Universal Credit.

This is a game-changing moment – and together, I want to make sure no child is left behind. LACA, with the support of its members, will be working flat out to ensure this roll-out is smooth, fair and effective.

Expansion alone is not enough, though. We need the resources to deliver high-quality, nutritious meals every day. That is why we will keep pushing for the necessary funding to protect services, jobs, quality and sustainability – our  members most recently have stated that this should be a minimum of £3.45 per meal.

I will also be focusing on the retention of Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM), which is a vital foundation for children’s health and wellbeing, and also looking to see what can be done to encourage its expansion to KS2.

We are all aware of the challenges we face as operators, but also as suppliers - rising costs, staff shortages, and families just outside the FSM threshold struggling to pay for a meal. These are real pressures and they remain front and centre of the lobbying I plan to carry out.

This year I also want to encourage more school visits from politicians and media to showcase the incredible work happening in kitchens and dining halls every day.

Q: As you well know, the role of Chair can be time-consuming, so how will you juggle it with the demands of the day job?

MH: Having a great team back at Juniper HQ is the key, as well as a very understanding wife. The Juniper board recognises the importance of the role for the sector as a whole and supports my year as Chair, as does Juniper’s shareholder.

Q: The Government is currently rolling out a school breakfast programme in England. What is your impression about how that is going, and do you have any concerns?

MH: The pilot provides insufficient funding in most schools. I have had some of my own heads expressing the view that the funding does not adequately cover even food costs, let alone staffing, space, utilities, or after-service clean-up.

In fact, some schools are reporting potential shortfalls from £1,000–£5,000, while some are estimating losses up to £9,000 or even £20,000 annually. A recent survey in the Times suggested that half of surveyed schools had raised worries about supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as the funding does not cover requirements for additional support or tailored environments.

Schools have also highlighted that staffing is a major issue - whether to hire staff or rely on volunteers - alongside logistical challenges like space constraints and clean-up procedures. Some also fear that if children arrive simultaneously, they simply lack the capacity, in terms of space and staff, to accommodate them safely and effectively.

So I feel the confusions that seem to exist over the intended model remain unclear and something that needs sorting out as a priority – certainly before any expansion of the initial pilot takes place.

And, of course, only 40% of our members support the plan, with 72% preferring that the breakfast funding be allocated instead to school lunches.

It is a well-intended scheme, but we also need to be careful about food industry influence from brands like Kellogg’s and Greggs, and ensure that there are very clear nutritional standards, otherwise corporate involvement may risk normalising unhealthy options.

Q: Are you optimistic about the future of schools meals throughout the UK?

MH: As I am working in and supporting the sector I say ‘be optimistic, but stay realistic’. However, for real transformation the sector needs stable funding, long-term political commitment, and recognition of the professional skills in school catering.