School Food Solutions is an independent consultancy providing specialist catering expertise to help schools and other educational establishments manage their own catering. We will help you set up or improve your own service, then, if you require, assist you with maintaining the service for however long you see fit.
We offer a flexible service, with an enthusiastic hands-on approach, and will work as partners to optimise your catering operation
What we offer falls broadly into 4 areas,
Operational and Financial
Monitoring, Reviewing and Improving
Catering Support Services
Tendering Advice
Also see our:
Code of conduct
Allergen information and advice
Operational and Financial
- A full assessment of your existing catering service
- Establish your school catering objectives and policies
- Budgeting and financial audit recommendations
- Assistance with recruitment of catering staff at all levels
- Maximise the take up of school meals
- Marketing and customer surveys aimed specifically at pupils
- Kitchen space /Dining room design and planning
- Advice regarding specific equipment usage and procurement
- Menu review and healthy eating implementation
- Regular budget meetings to suit you
- Day to day support and practical assistance for you and your catering team
- Provide a working H.A.C.C.P. (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) document to comply with current legislation
Monitoring, Reviewing and Improving
- Complete cost saving analysis
- Checking your budget performance and help with forecasting
- Highlight value for money comparisons with suppliers
- Move to local community suppliers where practical
- Analyse procurement effectiveness
- Site specific menu development – we involve the pupils on this
- On site quality control with practical help.
- Provide an annual staff training plan and ad hoc training
- Provide annual personnel performance plans for all staff
- Establish better communications – internally and externally
Catering Support Services
We offer a wide range of support services which includes:
- Food safety audits
- Staff skills audits
- Procurement efficiency audit
- Quality standards audit – food hygiene / kitchen cleanliness / kitchen procedures
- A financial audit of the whole catering service
- A health and safety audit
- Nutritional standards checks
- A sustainability audit
Tendering Advice
If required we can offer support at the tendering stage where large capital or revenue projects are being considered in the following areas:
- Assist with production of tender documentation
- Proposed list of caterers / suppliers
- Managing caterer site visits
- Management of the whole tender process
- Presentations and site visits in partnership with yourselves
- Assistance in the evaluation of tenders
- Final analysis and assistance in decision making
Code of conduct
At all times School Food Solutions will adhere to the following:
- We will offer complete transparency in all our dealings
- We will have complete probity in all our commercial dealings
- We will offer high ethical standards in all we do
- We will only accept or compete for work that we are competent and qualified to undertake
- We will maintain full confidentiality in all our dealings
- We will maintain impartiality at all times and declare any conflicts of interest.
- We will work at all times in the best interests of our client
- We will work within all legislative guidelines and codes of practice that apply to the catering industry
Allergen Information and Advice
The Laws, What it means and our responsibilities
As from 13th December 2014 the EU food information for customers regulation (EU FIC) comes into force.
What does it effect
- If you provide meals/snacks in a Cafe, Restaurant or School. Or if you sell food that you wrap yourself, such as bread, rolls, sandwiches, cakes, etc.
- During the preparation of some loose food, you may be using some pre-packed foods as ingredients in your recipe.
- Allergenic ingredients will be emphasised within the ingredient list on the packaging, this must then be transferred on to your list of Allergens.
- The EU has listed 14 different Allergens what need to be identified if they are used in a dish.
- As a food business serving loose food, you will have to supply information for every item on your menu that contains any of the 14 allergens as ingredients.
It is your legal requirement.