MoD food supply chief stepping down

Pritchard, who previously headed MoD supply teams at Booker and 3663, joined Purple Foodservice in late 2005 after it had been formed as a consortium by Supreme Foodservice, DBC Foodservice and Vestey Group. It then won the contract in October 2006 to deliver 1,500 different items of ambient, fresh, chilled and frozen foods and water to 1200 different military locations – including the South Atlantic, Germany, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Kingdom. Pritchard said it had been his intention to lead a successful Purple bid for the MoD contract, supervise a smooth handover from the previous contractor, manage the team to optimum daily operations and then withdraw. "The current five-year contract has four years to run and with options for two two-year extensions after that, I decided that now is the time to make way for fresh talent." Chairman Adam Cox said, "Graeme has shown total commitment to the Armed Forces personnel who are the contract's end-users and an unstinting determination to drive out cost to the British taxpayer. In his exemplary service to military caterers he has demonstrated a level of dedication that would be difficult to match and next to impossible to better. "That this contract is held up as a model not only to other UK government departments but also internationally is a matter of great personal pride to the many people who have participated in it. There is however only one consistent dominating influence in that sustained success and that is Graeme Pritchard." Captain Paul Cunningham RN, who leads Defence Food Services, commented, "The MoD's worldwide food supply contract has been publicly praised by the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee, and other Government Departments have been advised to adopt its practices. "This is mainly due to Graeme Pritchard's leadership, drive and foresight. Widely respected by all in the Defence catering arena, he has made a significant contribution to military feeding around the world."