When it comes to school catering, our reliance on the supply chain is immeasurable. Local authorities are under immense pressure to provide healthy and cost-effective school meals at a time when there are a myriad of factors making an impact. That’s why we’ll be shifting the focus from the ‘supply chain’ to the ‘rely chain’. Looking at how we can all work together to foster reliability in the supply chain within education catering.
Our research reveals that supply chains are at breaking point
We surveyed both hospitality and education catering professionals to find out the biggest challenges within the supply chain. Those surveyed admitted that the reliability of their suppliers has changed over the last 5 years, with 56% saying that they’ve found them less reliable.
Both the hospitality and education industries have also seen price rises in a number of items and services including ingredients, catering equipment, labour, and fuel and energy. Across both the hospitality and education sectors, operators have seen as much as a 30% increase in labour and ingredient costs.
So, what are caterers doing to make their supply chain relationships more reliable?
In both sectors, operators are working hard to form closer relationships with suppliers to understand the challenges they face, and they are working more with local suppliers to try and help avoid shortages and disruptions.
Open to debate – Education Catering Roundtable
Over the coming months, we’ll be bringing together leaders from across the education sector to discuss the biggest challenges when it comes to providing nutritious school meals for all. With insight from school caterers and local authorities, this roundtable discussion will seek to support by finding lasting solutions.
How we can help you
BRITA Managed Services can support local authorities and school caterers with bespoke packages tailored to your specific needs. From monitoring filter usage and carrying out essential filter exchanges, to training and reporting, you can rely on equipment to have a longer life span and deliver when you need it most.
Find out more here.