Meeting documents

Cabinet
Tuesday, 20 September 2005

CA200905-11

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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

  1. 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:

    1. 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;
    2. 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."

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Why buy Fairly Traded Products and Local Produce?

    Local Produce

  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Fair Trade

  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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/.
  10. Government Guidance

  11. 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).

  1. 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.
  2. Current Catering Arrangements

  3. 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.
  4. Current Council Use of Fairly Traded Products and Local Produce

    Common Hall Café

  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Other Council Buildings

  8. 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.
  9. Schools

  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. Personal staff use

  15. 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.
  16. Proposals for increased availability of Fair Trade and Local Produce

  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. Schools

  20. 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.
  21. Raising awareness of Fairly Traded and Local Produce across the Council

  22. 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.
  23. Financial Implications

  24. 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.
  25. 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.
  26. RECOMMENDATIONS

  27. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
          1. 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;
          2. 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;
          3. 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;
          4. 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;
          5. 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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