It not only makes more sense to anyone outside the industry, but is part of a move to put what was an informal grouping on a more organised footing with a structure and constitution.
It is also designed to gather together all the loose working arrangements of the old PSC100 Group and give them greater focus.
Under new chair Matthew White, director of campus commerce and head of function at the University of Reading, the re-branded Alliance will be a natural home for all those issues within catering that are better served by a voice that reflects all its parts, from schools, hospitals, care homes and universities to prisons and MoD sites.
It will also look to find common cause with natural allies such as the National Farmers Union, for example, and work jointly on initiatives such as the National Food Strategy and public sector procurement.
The national catering organisations - LACA, the NACC, TUCO, ASSIST FM and the HCA – will remain the driving forces within the alliance.
They will continue to work independently in their own areas of the public sector, LACA in schools and the HCA in hospitals, for example, but be part of industry-wide conversations as part of the Alliance umbrella on issues such as food costs, local purchasing, obesity and recruitment and retention.
The change is part of an evolution that clarifies aims within foodservice and at the same time offers those outside the industry an easily understood name.
Matt White is clearly relishing the chance to make the most of the opportunity the Alliance provides. He said: “It’s not rocket science. There are no great trade secrets to steal.
“If it works and can be applied in one sector it is likely it will have some benefit in another, so having a forum in which we can bounce around ideas and success stories is a great way of sharing and learning.”
The Alliance undoubtedly has the potential to have a significant impact on the public sector catering agenda in the years ahead, so we look forward to the fruits of this evolution.
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