School cooks can use Welsh meat

Only fresh Welsh meat will be supplied to schools

Welsh meat is to be supplied to a county's schools following complaints from kitchen staff over the use of foreign produce.

Cooks at 11 primary schools on Anglesey complained they were being sent Belgian beef to prepare lunchtime meals.

Initially Supplier Eden Foodservices said fresh British meat would be supplied after the row.

Now they have gone a step further and say only Welsh meat will be used. Anglesey council has welcomed the move.

Berkshire-based Eden Foodservices won a £1.5m three-year school meals contract earlier this year.

The cooks said they were told in a meeting with Eden Foodservice prior to the start of term that only Welsh lamb and Scottish beef would be supplied.

Meeting

As a result, they were unhappy at the delivery of the beef from Belgium which clearly stated that it had been sourced, slaughtered and cut in that country.

Eden Foodservice then assured them that only British meat would be supplied.

However following meetings between the company, Anglesey County Council, and officials from Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) (Meat Promotions Wales) Eden Foodservices has agreed to source their meat from Wales.

"The council and the company have taken positive steps to remedy the situation," said council leader Phil Fowlie, who chaired the meeting.

"I've been given a firm assurance by Eden, that sourcing local produce will be at the top of their agenda, and that only Welsh beef and lamb will be on the menu," he added.

'Traceability'

HCC's chief executive, Gwyn Howells, welcomed the move.

"Welsh beef and lamb have Protected Geographical Indicators (PGI) status which ensures full traceability from farm to plate," he said.

"Purchasing local produce also boosts the local economy and reduces food miles, which also helps the environment," he added.

Eden Foodservice operations director, Sally Lane, said the new deliveries would start in the "next few weeks".

"We're also looking forward to developing a strong working relationship with HCC, which already has a close working relationship with one of our main meat suppliers," she added.