Support school meals

​Request ​838993944

I would like further information around Jersey based companies, resources or local companies that were involved or approached to support school meals. 

1. Financially, how much is saved in expenditure from sourcing school meals off-island for States of Jersey schools? 

2. Was an island source approached in terms on being able to provide meals, whether this be across multiple agencies or one agency?

3. Are any Jersey produce and local growers or suppliers supported through the provision of school meals for States of Jersey schools? 

4. Is there any waste accountability or data around waste for the food produced and used?

Response

1. The extent of any savings from sourcing school meals off-island is difficult to quantify with precision. This is because overall expenditure is primarily driven by the volume of meals served, which can fluctuate significantly depending on pupil numbers, uptake rates, and operational factors.

In general terms, sourcing meals off-island offers unit cost efficiencies. However, these savings are partially offset by additional costs in transportation, logistics, storage.

Furthermore, overall expenditure should be considered in the context of total service delivery rather than unit price alone. Factors such as menu flexibility, nutritional standards, responsiveness to demand can all influence the cost-effectiveness of the model. These considerations mean that while there may be indicative savings in certain areas, they cannot be clearly isolated or attributed solely to on vs off-island sourcing.

In a recent tendering for Primary School Meals, competitors were asked to provide their prices on a per meal basis, off island providers were able to offer at a price that was 44% of the lowest on-island provider.

2. A range of suppliers, both local and off island, are involved in the delivery of the Primary School Meals programme.

As part of the recent open procurement process, the opportunity to tender was open to all organisations and was advertised both on-island and off-island to ensure broad market engagement. A number of suppliers participated in the tender process, including organisations with a Jersey presence.

Following this procurement process, a number of contracts have been awarded. 75% of the contracts awarded have been to local providers.

The procurement process assessed bids on overall value using a combination of quality, social value and cost, rather than a like-for-like comparison between on- island and off-island models. The resulting model was selected as it represented the best overall outcome against these criteria.

During the pilot phase of the programme, a range of delivery models were trialled, including on-island provision across multiple providers. These approaches were evaluated and, while they demonstrated local capability, they were not able to consistently deliver the scale required across all schools.

The subsequent procurement process was therefore designed to allow a mixed delivery model, including multiple providers, to ensure the required capacity and continuity of service.

3. At present, local growers are not directly supplying produce at the scale required to support the full programme on a consistent basis. This reflects current capacity constraints in meeting the volume and continuity required across all schools.

Suppliers providing fresh produce are expected to develop and increase opportunities for local sourcing as part of the contract, where this is feasible and sustainable.

4. Food waste is monitored as part of the delivery of the programme. Waste

management and reduction form part of the contractual requirements, and performance is reviewed through ongoing contract management arrangements with suppliers.​