Local suppliers get larger percentage of education meat supplies

A THIRD of local education authorities buy more than 75 per cent of their meat from local suppliers, according to a survey commissioned by the MLC to monitor attitudes to sustainable procurement of food.

LEAs are increasingly purchasing meat that complies with one of the red meat assurance schemes, with traceability more important than origin when purchasing meat. Ongoing research into the economics and practicalities of purchasing fresh rather than frozen meat has stimulated the Government Offices for the Regions to encourage LEAs to change their purchasing profiles. This is good news for the meat industry as the public sector is an important user of parts of the carcase that are sometimes difficult to find markets for.

These are just a few of the findings included in the October issue of Meat Demand Trends, which looks at the objectives of the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative. As well as special features, there is a regular update of the latest trends in meat expenditure and consumption, as well as analysis of retail and producer prices.