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Researchers from the University of ��«Ӱҵ worked with the  (CLES) and  to create a roadmap of interventions for a more sustainable, healthy and local food economy in ��«Ӱҵ which has been published in a new report, ‘’.&�Բ�����;

��«Ӱҵ team consisted of Institute for Sustainable Food Co-Director, Professor Peter Jackson who led on this collaborative project, alongside Dr Richard Craven, Senior Lecturer in Law, and Professor Andrea Genovese, Head of Operations Management and Decision Sciences at ��«Ӱҵ University Management School. 

The local public sector in ��«Ӱҵ spends £14m on food each year, but two-thirds of that is spent with large national suppliers based outside of the city. However, if some of this spend can be localised, it represents a huge potential market opportunity for local suppliers, driving local economic growth and improving social, cultural, environmental, health and wellbeing outcomes for local communities.

The project investigated the current food procurement arrangements for six of ��«Ӱҵ’s anchor institutions and explored the potential for healthier and more sustainable alternatives by using local food producers and suppliers.

Anchor institutions participating in the research were ��«Ӱҵ Health & Social Care NHS Trust (SHSC), ��«Ӱҵ Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (STH), University of ��«Ӱҵ catering service (UNICUS), ��«Ӱҵ Hallam University (SHU) catering service, ��«Ӱҵ Colleges and Taylor Shaw, the company delivering the schools catering contract for ��«Ӱҵ City Council.

Key findings from the report include: 

• Universities in ��«Ӱҵ spend the highest share of their food spend with locally based suppliers (42%), followed by hospitals (38%) and then schools and colleges (27%)
• Local suppliers are interested in working with public sector buyers but need simpler tendering processes and long-term purchasing commitments
• Collaboration between anchor institutions is fundamental for change. This includes working together to develop a sense of shared ambition, better data collection and information sharing with suppliers around their demand for healthy, sustainable and local food. 

The practical, actionable roadmap details short, medium and long-term measures that food system actors in ��«Ӱҵ can follow to deliver healthy, sustainable and local food to their communities. 

Professor Peter Jackson, Co-Director at the University of ��«Ӱҵ’s Institute for Sustainable Food said, “The public procurement system is a key opportunity for transformational change in the UK food system.  Our project with the Centre for Local Economic Strategies and ��«Ӱҵ's food partnership (ShefFood) has proposed a range of options from ‘quick wins’ such as local buyer-meets-supplier events to medium and long-term changes, designed to encourage the city's hospitals, schools and universities to purchase more local, healthy and sustainable food.”

You can read the full report .