Supporting Food Supply in the Public Sector

By equipping businesses with the knowledge and tools to navigate procurement frameworks, we position Welsh products as a competitive choice for public sector contracts.

Programme Overview

The Business Wales Food & Drink project, funded by Welsh Government’s Foundational Economy team, focused on increasing the provision of Welsh food and drink in the public sector. 

Through a mix of workshops, stakeholder engagement and supply chain collaboration, the programme has supported SMEs to identify and act on new opportunities.

Highlights include: 

• Supporting Velindre Health Board’s ‘Food Mission’ to bring more Welsh produce into their menus.
• Assisting menu development in Conwy schools and trials of local produce.
• Helping to establish a North Wales Local Authority food group to achieve economies of scale and increase local sourcing. 

Adapting to School Food Nutritional Guidelines

A key focus of this programme has helped SMEs adapt to the proposed School Food Nutritional Guidelines for Wales, which aim to improve the nutritional quality of food served in schools. 

The project provided additional support on the back of these proposals, through workshops and direct engagement – sharing timely information, facilitating discussions, and supporting product reformulation where appropriate to maintain the compliance of Welsh produce.

Procurement & Mapping Resources

The programme delivered tailored training and resources for SMEs, procurement officers, and catering managers, aligned to frameworks such as TUCO, NHS Shared Services, the Caerphilly procurement framework – resources of which can be found below. 

We have also mapped a library of accredited food and drink businesses in Wales that are ready to supply the public sector in Wales. To build on this, the programme is now aiming to map food and drink supply chain opportunities in relation to large scale infrastructure projects in Wales – such as tidal, solar, wind, and nuclear energy projects. 

Alignment with Other Initiatives

The project complements wider Welsh Government Foundational Economy initiatives, such as Larder Cymru’s Welsh Food for Schools programme, which supports local authorities in incorporating more Welsh produce into primary school menus.

You can find out more in the Larder Cymru Welsh Food for Schools brochure
 

Food procurement frameworks

Get a brief overview of the three main food supply frameworks for the public sector in Wales.

Case studies

Malmö, Sweden is recognised as a global leader in sustainable local food sourcing and procurement. The city prioritises sustainability, healthy options, and local suppliers across its entire food supply sector. Explore how this commitment is reflected in Malmö’s hospitals, schools, and city-wide initiatives.