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ITEM CA11
CABINET
– 20 SEPTEMBER 2005
FAIR TRADE
AND THE USE OF LOCAL PRODUCE
Report by
Head of Sustainable Development Service, Head of Finance & Procurement
and Head of Resources, Learning & Culture
Introduction
- This report responds
to a Council resolution on 5 April 2005, on a motion by former Councillor
Robert Evans, in the following terms:
"This
Council agrees to support the principle of fair trade and also to
encourage the production and use of local produce. To further these
objectives, the Council asks the Executive to consider ways in which
it can:
- further raise
awareness of fair trade practices and goods and the benefits of local
produce across the County Council’s services and within the County
generally;
- encourage the
availability of fair trade goods and local produce as items of choice
in County Council premises and outlets and at County Council events."
- This report outlines
current practice by County Facilities Management (CFM), both in schools
and the other catering services it provides, and makes recommendations
to the Cabinet for the increased use of fairly traded and local produce
across the Council, including cost implications. The report also considers
ways of raising awareness of the environmental, social and economic
benefits of purchasing fairly traded and local produce to staff and
councillors.
- The report also
notes the wider sustainability implications of catering, for example,
the use of bottled water and of disposable plates and cups, which generate
unnecessary waste and expense.
Why buy
Fairly Traded Products and Local Produce?
Local
Produce
- Recent research
has shown that buying local produce has positive environmental benefits,
due mainly to the reduction in road miles travelled by the produce.
In addition, promoting local production supports local economies and
communities, contributes to the development of diverse rural businesses,
and can also help to develop sustainable land management and farming
practices.
- Through its continued
support for the Oxfordshire Food Group, especially the Group’s popular
annual Food Guide and new interactive website, the County Council has
helped to raise the profile of locally produced food across the County
and in neighbouring counties. Development of the local food sector and
public procurement of local produce are both key objectives in the Delivery
Plan for Sustainable Farming and Food in the South East, which is the
regional implementation plan for the Government’s Strategy for Sustainable
Farming and Food.
Fair Trade
- Fair trade is
about securing better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability
and environmental benefits and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers
in the developing world. The Fairtrade brand mark is an independent
consumer label, which appears on UK products as a guarantee that they
have given their producers a better deal and is awarded by the Fairtrade
Foundation, a registered charity. Products covered by the Fairtrade
mark include coffee, tea, chocolate and sugar.
- Some questions
have been raised in the past about the quality of fairly traded products.
However since the recent switch in the Common Hall Café to Fairtrade
tea and coffee (see paragraph 12) there have been no adverse comments.
In addition, fairly traded products have recently been successfully
introduced into several major high street chains.
- Oxford is already
accredited as a ‘Fairtrade City’ and Oxford Brookes as a ‘Fairtrade
University’. By increasing the amount of fairly traded products used
on its sites the County Council would demonstrate participation in these
local initiatives.
Further information
on fair trade, including production, environmental and accreditation
standards, is at http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/.
Government
Guidance
- The Government
provides guidance on the procurement of fairly traded and locally produced
goods within the remit of EC procurement directives. DEFRA’s Public
Sector Food Procurement Initiative outlines as key priorities:
- Supporting local
and regional economies
- Reducing waste
(particularly packaging)
- Making premium
standard options available to consumers where there is scope to do
so, for example organic and fairly traded goods
(Source:
DEFRA’s Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative, Guidance for Buyers
and their Internal Customers).
- DEFRA are currently
consulting on a draft Toolkit for the public sector to provide further
guidance and advice on sustainable food procurement. For further information
on the DEFRA Initiative see http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/sustain/procurement/pdf/foodprocure.pdf.
Current
Catering Arrangements
- For the purposes
of this report, officers have investigated current practice in the central
offices at County Hall, Speedwell House, Macclesfield House and Cricket
Road, with some case studies of practice on smaller sites. Schools covered
by the CFM contract are also included. In the majority of sites investigated
for this report, arrangements for ordering food for meetings and events
are inconsistent. Individual staff book food through any catering company
they choose, although many sites tend to have a preferred company through
which the majority of food orders are placed. Caterers are not normally
required to meet set criteria such as supplying seasonal, locally produced
food, or providing crockery rather than disposable plates and cups.
However for some Council events specific requirements are made, for
example, a buffet serving organic, locally sourced food was served at
the 2004 OSCA (Oxfordshire Special Conservation Awards) ceremony at
no additional cost per head.
Current
Council Use of Fairly Traded Products and Local Produce
Common
Hall Café
- For some time
the Common Hall Café has been supplying ‘ethically sourced’ tea
and coffee. In July this year, CFM arranged to change all of its stock
to fairly traded tea, coffee, hot chocolate and sugar. These products
will now be served in both the café and for meetings in County
Hall and Macclesfield House. Old stock has been used up and no additional
costs have been involved in the changeover to fairly traded products.
In addition to drinks, fairly traded chocolate bars have recently been
introduced in the café as an item of choice, with costs passed
directly to the customer.
- CFM already serve
some locally produced food and drink, for example local Bensons apple
juice and Jonathan Crisps, produced in Eynsham. Plans are in place to
introduce more locally sourced cakes and biscuits. During the Autumn,
CFM intend to hold a Local Produce week in the Common Hall Café
to promote locally produced food and drink to staff, councillors and
visitors, with food tastings and opinion surveys planned.
Other
Council Buildings
- The Cricket Road
Centre already uses fairly traded tea and coffee for meetings. This
change took place in response to staff requests. However, Clarendon
House, for example, use ‘Meco’ filter coffee (non fair trade) as part
of an arrangement bought in with the filter coffee machines used for
the offices. For a list of other County Council site arrangements, see
Annex 1.
Schools
- There is increasing
pressure from schools to serve not only healthy food but where possible
locally produced and seasonal produce. To meet requests from schools,
CFM have already introduced some local produce into school meals. Meat
from local butchers is currently being supplied to South Moreton Primary,
Cherwell Secondary, Brize Norton Primary, St John the Evangelist Primary,
Woodgreen Secondary and Faringdon Secondary schools. A further 10 schools
will be starting to use local meat products from the Autumn term.
- A recent project
led by Oxford Brookes University with the participation of the Oxfordshire
Food Group and CFM, trialled local meat and vegetables at South Moreton
Primary School. The trial was very successful with a greater uptake
of school meals, less wastage and higher satisfaction with the food
served; further details can be found at http://www.local-food.net/content/documents/Final%20Report_Schools.pdf.
- It would not currently
be feasible to apply this model to all schools under CFM’s remit due
to several factors, including the seasonality of produce and the lack
of capacity of local producers to deliver the quantity required. However,
schools could be encouraged, by working with CFM, to make an informed
choice based on quality, seasonality and availability of produce.
- A small sample
of schools, which have opted out of CFM, are now starting to produce
their own vegetables and fruit to supply the school kitchen, for example
Buckland and Hagbourne primary schools.
Personal
staff use
- Drinks for staff
use are also purchased in different ways across the Council, and whether
they are fairly traded depends on the individuals making the purchasing
arrangements. There was some discrepancy noted over whether staff pay
for tea, coffee and milk. This depends on the site, and a standardised
arrangement is not in place across the Council.
Proposals
for increased availability of Fair Trade and Local Produce
- A single contract
for the purchase of fairly traded tea, coffee, hot chocolate and sugar
products across Council sites would help to ensure a standardised arrangement;
and result in savings on the same basis as for the joint stationery
contract. It is proposed that fairly traded tea and coffee could be
added to the core purchase list as part of the stationery contract,
at a discounted rate. However any contract would need to be negotiated
to ensure the best product price and to comply with procurement policy.
- It is also proposed
that a list of approved suppliers for catering for meetings and events
should be developed, which would include specifications for use of fairly
traded and (where possible) local produce for meetings and events. Again
this list would need to be drawn up in accordance with current procurement
policy and regulations, including the DEFRA guidance referred to above.
Schools
- The number of
schools currently using local meat equates to approximately 7% of the
schools using CFM’s school meals service. Moves to further increase
the number of schools selling locally sourced products would need to
be supported by a policy decision. CFM would then seek to encourage
further schools within their remit to consider local food sourcing,
where economic and product supply constraints allow. This move would
also need to be in line with decisions due in Autumn from the recent
Best Value Review on the Schools Meal Service.
Raising
awareness of Fairly Traded and Local Produce across the Council
- The Local Food
week proposed by CFM is to be welcomed. In addition it is proposed that
County Purchasing, in conjunction with the Future First Project Team
and CFM, can help publicise the availability of fairly traded products
to staff, councillors and visitors through the Intranet, The Post, and
press releases. Publicity posters and notices in the Common Hall Café
and in kitchens should also help to draw attention to the products available,
and could help attract new customers to the café. However the
most effective way to raise awareness would be through the new contractual
arrangements proposed.
Financial
Implications
- Any additional
costs of local produce sold in the café are passed on to the
customers. The tea and coffee costs have not increased with the switch
to fairly traded products. It is proposed that by establishing a single
contract for the purchase of fairly traded goods across the council,
savings could be made on the same basis as for the recent joint stationery
contract.
- The absence of
co-ordinated arrangements for catering in many offices means there is
little control over spending, and no bulk purchasing arrangements are
being made. Using a number of approved suppliers for catering for meetings
and events in different parts of the county could produce significant
savings. The recent food in schools project and experience of local
meat purchasing found that using local produce for school meals resulted
in no additional cost. In fact savings were made as, despite certain
local products costing more, stock control was more efficient which
led to less food wastage. The school cook was able to order exactly
the stock needed rather than buying in bulk.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- The Cabinet
is RECOMMENDED to:
- approve
setting up a contract, in line with standard procurement policy,
for purchasing fairly traded tea, coffee and sugar for meetings,
which can be used by all County Council sites;
- approve
development of a list of approved suppliers for catering for
meetings and events, as outlined in paragraph 21 of the report,
in line with the Council’s corporate procurement strategy, to
include specified criteria for selection, for example, locally
sourced produce, fairly traded goods and use of crockery rather
than disposable plates;
- authorise
an investigation into the current running costs and use of vending
machines across County Council sites and the feasibility of
installing fairly traded hot drinks machines and ‘green machines’
(vending machines supplying fairly traded/organic products)
in place of traditional vendors;
- endorse
the proposals for a publicity campaign to raise awareness of
the Council’s use of fairly traded and local produce as outlined
in paragraph 23 of the report;
- support
the continued introduction of local produce into school meals
where economic and supply considerations permit.
CHRIS
COUSINS
Head of Sustainable
Development
SUE
SCANE
Head of Finance
& Procurement
ROBERT
CAPSTICK
Head of Resources,
Learning & Culture
Background
Papers: Nil
Contact
Officer: Ruth Booker Tel: 01865 810117
September
2005
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