Green Gown Awards 2014 - Food and Drink - University of Brighton - Highly Commended

Field to fork, bringing the veg back home

Field to fork, bringing the veg back home was the University of Brighton’s vision to see locally grown fruit and vegetables being served across all food and beverage services at the University.

The University wanted to deal directly with growers and producers and ensure the route from field to fork was as short as possible. In 2011 the University realised its vision and engaged with a grower and wholesaler who shared its passion for high quality, fresh produce. Equally, it was able to select a supplier who shared their own aspirations in respect of sustainable working methods and took seriously their social and environmental responsibilities.

The University’s supplier providesweekly updates for its chefs on seasonal crops and they plan menus around the produce ready in the fields. As a result, the University is now able to provide fresh and seasonal produce of unrivalled quality across a large multi-site catering environment.

Top 3 learnings

1 Be clear on what you want to achieve and include it in your specification for tendering
2 Keep working on the client/supplier relationship, it can open up opportunities you would otherwise miss
3 Share information with your customers. Our customers know where much of our produce is grown and it has added genuine value to the services we provide.

What the judges say ... 

Judges were impressed with what Brighton had achieved across a number of campuses. Brighton have shown how procurement can work to deliver tangible benefits for more sustainable food and drink in the Higher Education sector.

What it means to win ...

“We are delighted to have been awarded in a competition that promotes an ethos that
runs through the very fabric of this university – sustainability, encouraging healthy living and reducing our carbon footprint.”

Julian Crampton, Vice-Chancellor

Videos

• Field to fork, bringing the veg back home (click to hide)