The Benefits of Procuring School Meals through the Food for Life Partnership

Nef (always worth watching) has produced a valuable report about the benefits of local and sustainable approaches to the provision of school meals. Headline findings include:

In Nottinghamshire, spending for school meals locally within an FFLP framework is calculated to generate over £5 million in value each year. The share of ingredient spend on seasonal, local produce has risen dramatically, by a nominal £1.65 million per year, returning £3.11 in social, economic and environmental value for every £1 spent.

In Plymouth, the change in spending on seasonal, local produce is valued at £384,000 per year as a result of adopting FFLP practices. This spending into the local economy is found to generate £1.2 million of value per year, a return of £3.04 for every £1 spent.

It is important to highlight that this study represents only a partial analysis. It does not take account of any of the health, educational or cultural benefits of a whole school approach to food which are the primary objectives of FFLP. Adding these benefits would result in a substantially larger positive return to investment. Separate from our main outcomes model, we looked at the multiplier effect from procuring a higher share of ingredients for school meals from the local economy. Comparing current spending and re-spending in Nottinghamshire now and prior to a focus on procuring locally and seasonally shows that the total amount of money circulating in the local economy from this source has increased substantially, from £181,418 in 2004 to £3,826,688 currently.

Wonder what the policy is in Solihull? The report can be found here.