March 2006
EUROPEAN NEWS
New EU food regulations
Europe’s soft drinks companies voluntarily ban adverting to children
EU proposes animal welfare labelling for food products
Organic farming
SCHOOL FOOD
School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (SFVS)
School milk
Students design their own healthy lunch menus in the west of Scotland
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Fuel for Living booklet
A report on the national 5 A DAY programme in Yorkshire
NHS Good Corporate Citizenship Assessment Model
Online registration tool from NetRegs
EVENTS COMING UP
The future of public sector catering, London, 22nd February
Eat local, buy local, getting local food on the menu, Lancaster, 28th February
Healthy eating in schools, Making it work, York, 9th March and Salford, 27th March
Celtic Nations Conference, Cardiff, 15th March, 9am-4.30pm
Investing in the future of every child, Hull, 23-24th March
Healthy and Sustainable Public Food Networks in Norden, Copenhagen, 24-25th April
Wholesome Food Conference, nr Gloucester, 11-13 August 2006
EUROPEAN NEWS
New EU food regulations
As of 1 January 2006, 5 new pieces of EU food legislation were introduced. Failure to comply could lead to the closure of businesses. The new regulations are:
Europe’s soft drinks companies voluntarily ban adverting to children
In January, the Union of European Beverages Associations (Unesda) said its members, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Cadbury Schweppes, would stop advertising soft drinks to children under the age of twelve across the EU and pledged to provide unbranded vending machines in secondary schools. Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4646942.stm
EU proposes animal welfare labelling for food products
In January, the European Commission proposed to create a special “animal welfare” label for meat and fish products that would put more responsibilities on companies to ensure they are getting their supplies from approved sources and would help consumers make informed choices. The proposed food label is part of a five-year EU plan to promote animal welfare. Source: http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=65453&m=1FNU130&c=hxzkwbvbrvoensm
Organic farming
At the January meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, the Agriculture Commissioner presented a proposal on organic farming, which aims to simplify and improve the structure of current regulations, setting out the scope of organic production and definitions for organic food. She also presented a proposal on changes to the rules for protected geographical indications and traditional specialties for agriculture products, which need changing to comply with a WTO ruling. For details see http://ue.eu.int/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/agricult/88099.pdf .
SCHOOL FOOD
School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (SFVS)
The total cost of the Government’s SFVS in 2005-6 is expected to be £37,354,000 compared to £28,840,000 in 2004-5. The lower costs in 2004-5 were due to incomplete roll out of the scheme. The unit cost per piece of fruit and vegetable supplied is 10p. Source: Hansard 17 January 2005, 1307SW. On 28th January the Guardian reported that the SFVS and Government 5 A DAY programme are being hit by a funding freeze with most staff contracts coming to an end in March with no certainty about future funding. The article also reports on an official evaluation that suggests the scheme has made no lasting effect on children’s consumption of healthy food. For the full article see http://politics.guardian.co.uk/publicservices/story/0,,1696885,00.html
School milk
Lord Bach, the Sustainable Food and Farming Minister, has announced that the national subsidy for school milk will be retained. The EU subsidy on school milk was reduced in 2000. Since January 2001 the UK government has provided national aid to supplement the EU subsidy with a maximum annual cost of £1.5m in England. The decision follows an economic evaluation recently commissioned by Defra which recommends ending the subsidy. The consultant’s report is available at http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/evaluation/schoolmilk/default.asp .
Students design their own healthy lunch menus in the west of Scotland
Councils across the west of Scotland are giving primary and secondary children the chance to design their own schools meals as part of a bid to tempt them away from chips and burgers. Source: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/lo/opinion/7021384.html
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Fuel for Living booklet
This recipe guide has been produced by the Department of Health following a survey which revealed that 1 in 10 young people never cook a meal for themselves because they ‘don’t know how’. The booklet provides simple and cost effective recipe ideas and tips to assist students in the kitchen and help them increase their consumption of fruit and vegetables. Available from www.5ADAY.nhs.uk
A report on the national 5 A DAY programme in Yorkshire
This report provides details of the programme in the region in the national policy context and is available on http://www.5aday.nhs.uk/original/locally/documents/Yorkshire_and_Humber_regional_implementation_report_Oct_2005.pdf
NHS Good Corporate Citizenship Assessment Model
The model is designed to help NHS organisations improve their contribution to sustainable development by changing how they buy goods and services, manage their waste and transport, employ people etc. See www.corporatecitizen.nhs.uk
Online registration tool from NetRegs
Netregs helps small businesses, including farmers, keep up-to-date with environmental legislation and offers practical advice on their environmental obligations. The tool can be found on http://www.netregs.gov.uk/netregs/1226009/?referrer=/netregs/ .
EVENTS COMING UP
The future of public sector catering, and how this will affect you and your business, Excel, London, 22nd February
A Foodservice Consultants Society International and European Catering Association discussion event. For more information call 01483 761122 or email admin@fcsi.org.uk .
Eat local, buy local, getting local food on the menu, Lancaster, 28th February, 5-7.15pm
A free event organised by the Lancaster District Food Forum and the North West Food Alliance. For details visit http://www.nwfoodalliance.co.uk/events.php?event_id=209&events_start=&page_number.
Healthy eating in schools, making it work, York, 9th March and Salford, 27th March
Two conferences organised by Verner Wheelock Associates that will explore good practice in healthy eating in schools and share knowledge and expertise. Visit www.vwa.co.uk for details.
Celtic Nations Conference, Cardiff, 15th March, 9am-4.30pm
A conference of the Sustainable Development Commission that will show-case inspiring ideas in sustainable development from Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. For details email wales@sd-commission.org.uk or visit http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/wales/page.php/celticconf2006.html .
Investing in the future of every child: school meals, health, social capital and attainment, Hull, 23-24th March
An international conference linked to the dissemination of good practice and the evaluation of Hull City Council’s ‘Eat Well, Do Well’ initiative. Contact Jackie Lison, 01462 465988, j.lison@hull.ac.uk for details or visit www.hull.ac.uk/ces/researchandconsultancy/FreeHealthySchoolMeals.html
Healthy and Sustainable Public Food Networks in Norden, Copenhagen, 24-25th April
A conference presenting experiences from the Danish Øresund region on healthy and sustainable practices in the public food sector with Professor Kevin Morgan, Cardiff University giving the keynote speech, ‘Healthy and sustainable public food procurement – a new European agenda?’. For more details see http://www.foodture.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Filer/Aktuelt/firstAnnounce__2_.pdf
Wholesome Food Conference, Green and Away Eco-conference Centre, Glos, 11-13th August
A conference organised by the Good Garderners’ Association, Wholesome Food Association and Edcombe Farm. There will workshops and discussions ranging from how to get started in veg/meat box schemes, farm shops and farmers’ markets to how to ensure greater mineral uptake for healthy plants and human nutrition. For details visit www.wholesome-food.org.uk/conference.html.
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