New scheme aims to increase amount of local produce used in schools and care homes

A new project is underway to increase the amount of local produce used in school meals and in care homes.

In Carmarthenshire, local vegetables – organically grown, harvested and processed on the farm at Bremenda Isaf in Llanarthne are being served to pupils as part of themed lunches at Ysgol Bro Dinefwr secondary school.

The scheme is a partnership between the school, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Catering Department and an initiative called the Food Systems Development Project.

Having taken over the running of Bremenda Isaf, a 100-acre council farm, the Food Systems Development Project is trialling new ways of getting local vegetables onto the plates of the county’s primary schools and care homes.

Fresh produce

Using climate and nature-friendly farming practices, the team at the farm is growing a range of different vegetables that will make their way into school and care home meals, ensuring that some of the county’s youngest and eldest residents are benefiting from locally grown, high quality, fresh produce.

Crops being supplied include cucumber, fennel, runner beans, purple sprouting broccoli, tomatoes, rainbow chard and beetroot, with over 40kg going on to school plates on the first day of delivery.

Chris Pugh, Senior Catering Manager at Carmarthenshire County Council, said: “We are delighted to be able to see the first crops from Bremenda Isaf County Farm making their way on to the plates of students at Bro Dinefwr,”

“Utilising locally grown, high quality, fresh produce on our menu is the first exciting step in the wider food systems development project for the catering department. Our Chefs are looking forward to showing how local produce can be championed as part of a range of exciting dishes, showing off flavours from around the world.”

Menu development

Alex Cook, Food Systems Development Project Manager added: “Menu development and design play a crucial role in delivering sustainable, local food on to the public plate.

“By directly employing growers to produce the food, this innovative and collaborative solution is the effect of good communications between demand, supply and distribution. This is a great step forward, with partners working collaboratively towards creating a Carmarthenshire Food Systems that produces, provides and promotes sustainable and healthy food for Future Generations.”

The farm is also growing grains as it explores a return to an older, mixed farming system.

This has been developed as part of a heritage project that’s been encouraging local people to think about the farm, the produce and the land, asking participants to respond to how that makes them feel through art, poetry and song.

Cooking skills

The Food Systems Development project is also working with the dietetic team at Hywel Dda University Health Board to develop people’s cooking and nutrition skills, whilst partnering with the Carmarthenshire Food Network to further community connections through food in all corners of the county too.

The Food Systems Development project has funded the development of Bwyd Sir Gâr Food’s website too, to help raise awareness of the work of Bwyd Sir Gâr Food and to get as many people from Carmarthenshire involved in building a better food future for all of us.

Bwyd Sir Gâr Food is also part of the wider, national Welsh Veg in Schools project that’s co-ordinated by Food Sense Wales and aims to get more organically produced Welsh veg into primary school meals across the whole of Wales.

Vegetables from Bremenda Isaf will be supplied into schools across six local authority areas taking part in the project.

In Carmarthenshire, the veg that’s being grown as part of Welsh Veg in Schools is being delivered to schools during British Food Fortnight that’s taking place between September 20th and October 6th.

Working with partners that include Castell Howell, Farming Connect Horticulture as well as a host of growers – including the team at Bremenda Isaf farm – the Welsh Veg in Schools project is helping to get more locally produced organic vegetables into school lunches.

Welsh Veg in Schools is also redesigning supply chains to make them fairer and more resilient building on the commitment from Welsh Government to ensure that every primary aged child in Wales is offered a free school meal – and that the food used to produce that meal, where possible, comes from local suppliers.

Currently only around a quarter of a portion of veg per head of population is being produced in Wales.