Marketing budgets slashed for half of recession-hit school caterers

The findings are the result of a vote of 300 Local Authorities, private and school caterers, school business managers and Head teachers taken at the School Food Trust's first National Marketing Event in Birmingham yesterday. At the one-day event experts including Karen Todd, ASDA's Head of Planning & Programmes, Corporate Affairs, showed schools and caterers how they can improve their marketing without spending more by taking tips and tricks from the high street. In answer to reduced budgets, the School Food Trust also unveiled a new free to use design tool, developed to help schools market more professionally. MADGe (Marketing and Design Generator) is an online library of industry-designed marketing materials, including posters, letters, stickers and even online adverts, which can be personalised by school and situation. Cherie-Ann Hart, Luton Council, has been testing MADGe. She said: "We've found it to be incredibly easy to use. Before, if we wanted a poster for a new promotion, we had to get a designer to come into our office, which was expensive and took up a lot of our time. Now we can just log-in, personalise one of the templates and we're ready to go. "We will be able to promote so much more, starting with our new Meal Deal and Grab & Go ranges. We think this will really help to generate higher sales." The survey also showed that 89% of delegates believe marketing is very important in increasing school meal take up, and 88% currently promote their school meals. Chris Wainwright, Director of Communications, School Food Trust explained how schools are taking on the high street: "School food is competing with high street stores and food outlets to get children's attention. School and local authorities have told us that they want to up their game and professionalise how they market healthy food so it's a more attractive option. "With our marketing event, we're teaching schools the tricks that big supermarkets use, and with MADGe we're providing free marketing materials for the dining room to - something which will really help caterers with tight budgets." The event was centred around an Olympic theme, with gold medallist Colin Jackson CBE, addressing the crowd to introduce 'Fuelling Future Champions', a School Food Trust marketing template which schools can use to encourage children to eat well to succeed in sport. For more information about MADGe please visit: www.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/madge