Hammersmith & Fulham council awards school meals contract to Eden Foodservice

9th October 2009, 11:35am

Hammersmith & Fulham Council’s has awarded a three-year contract worth around £4million per year to Eden Foodservice to provide school meals in the borough.

Under the agreement, commencing at the beginning of November, Eden Foodservice will provide a range of catering services to more than 14,000 pupils at more than 50 schools within the area.

Eden Foodservice was selected following a competitive tendering process, where the company scored highest on quality and offered the best price to schools and parents. As a result, the company will provide bespoke solutions including breakfast, mid-morning break and lunch to 31 primary schools, five secondary schools, five special schools, five independent schools, four nurseries, one sixth form college and a pupil referral unit. 

Hammersmith & Fulham currently has the highest uptake of school meals within the UK in primary, nursery and special schools.

Around 245 members of the existing catering team will transfer to Eden Foodservice under TUPE regulations, ensuring appropriate legislative compliance and employee protection. This will also support the efficient transfer of the contract to Eden Foodservice and ensure continuity at each school.

Councillor Sarah Gore, H&F Council's acting cabinet member for children's services said: "This contract with a specialist provider will ensure that more is spent on the most critical input into any meal, namely, the ingredients. We are confident that our schools, children, parents and carers will be very pleased with what Eden will provide at no additional cost. 

"We currently have the highest proportion of children within the UK eating a school lunch and we hope that this proportion will increase further with Eden Foodservice. We will be working closely with them to make sure we provide top class, healthy meals for children in our schools."

Simon James, Managing Director of Eden Foodservice said: "We have a proven track record developing effective catering solutions that combine quality with value for money. Furthermore, our responsible approach not only ensures greater use of fresh, seasonal, local and organic ingredients, but also guarantees catering best practice in terms of waste management and recycling."

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