Local food call to North East hospital bosses

May 15 2010 by Helen Rae, The Journal

HOSPITAL bosses across the North East were last night urged to use more local produce for patient meals.

The calls came after health chiefs at Nottingham City Hospital and the nearby Queen’s Medical Centre revealed they had switched to a menu using fresh local ingredients.

Catering managers said the daily plate saving was £2.50 per patient – more than £6m a year.

Yesterday, their counterparts at Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust and County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said they too were doing all they could to use North East suppliers whenever possible.

But Newcastle admitted most of the food used for its hospitals, which include the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle General and the Freeman, was transported 153 miles from Stoke to Newcastle.

Yesterday a spokesman from the National Farmers Union said: “The NFU is working hard to encourage all public sector organisations from schools and hospitals to the prison service and armed forces to source as much food as possible from their local area.

“As well as offering potential cost savings, local sourcing helps ensure food is as fresh as possible and is delivered with minimum food miles – making it more environmentally friendly.

“Of course, the other benefit of local sourcing is that is helps support local farmers, ensuring a strong local market for their produce. However, while this is something we are very much in favour of, you do need some infrastructure to facilitate the process.”

Nottingham City Hospital and the Queen’s Medical Centre said in its first year the farm-to-plate scheme has put £1m into the local economy – and that should double over the next 12 months.

Their food travels less distance than many of the 7,000 patients who choose from the menu each day and the hospital contract is also supporting dozens of local farmers, saving a number from going under.

But David Oglethorpe, professor of logistics and supply chain management at the Northumbria University Business School, said yesterday the farm-to-plate scheme may not be sustainable in the North East.

He said: “For a scheme similar to that used in Nottingham, the North East would have to set up a regional hub in which many farmers join the scheme to supply enough food and demand for hospitals in the region.