As concerns grow across public sector catering that the cost of living crisis is changing the industry’s ability to provide a catering service that lives up to the expected standards, the Public Sector Catering Alliance has created a survey to investigate this issue.
Service providers can fill out the survey here.
The Public Sector Catering Alliance (PSCA) group comprises caterers, dietitians, politicians, healthy eating campaigners and suppliers who operate in the public sector and use their collective 'clout' to drive Government legislation and action towards helping people adopt healthier lifestyles through catering and education initiatives.
The PSCA is working with the leading catering industry associations and other influential bodies to keep the Government informed of the growing risks. The survey is a follow up to one completed in June 2022 and it aims to look at the situation several months on.
The June 2022 survey found that 90% of caterers working across schools, hospitals, the care sector and universities said they are suffering from food shortages and product substitutions. The problem seemed particularly acute in the schools sector, where millions of children face poorer quality school meals as a result of the rising cost of food.
This survey is designed to give a snapshot of those concerns and risks and will be central to ongoing conversations about securing the required Government support. Please take 5-10 minutes to fill in this survey it could be vital to the short-term delivery of public sector catering services.
This survey is designed for service providers not for suppliers. Please don't fill it in if you are a supplier as it may undermine some of the results. The survey will close on Tuesday 14th February 2023.
A spokesperson for the PSC Alliance said: “Please be candid and as honest as you can in your responses. The survey is anonymous and we need to drill down to the issues caterers are facing on the front line. We appreciate all public sector caterers do their best for those they feed, but please do tell us how it really is to help us deliver the right message to Government and those in leadership.”
