Glasgow City Council Catering Manager: “We are the custodians of our food journey”

With Glasgow’s City Food plan aiming to make tasty, healthy and affordable food available to everyone, Glasgow City Council’s Head of Catering and Facilities Management Stephen Sawers explains a big picture approach, partnership working and collaboration with Food for Life Scotland is making that aim a reality in the city’s schools.

FFLSH Bronze in Glasgow:

• 152 primary and ASN sites certified

• 113 early years sites certified

• 37,000 meals served every school day

Glasgow’s good food movement, underpinned by the 10-year City Food plan, is in evidence on school meal plates. Under the careful stewardship of Head of Catering and Facilities Management Stephen Sawers and his team at Glasgow City Council, the school meals service is delivering food that’s good for health, environment and the economy – and that’s just the beginning.

“From the outset, we aimed to get a line of sight from the front line right through to our strategic aims and goals,” explains Stephen. “Our front-line staff are producing the meals for Glasgow’s pupils day in and day out. Communicating and engaging on those strategic aims and goals gives them a sense of purpose and value.”

The Glasgow City Food Plan aims to make tasty, healthy and affordable food available to everyone. This is the foundation of the council’s school meals approach, and the Food for Life Served Here Bronze certification gives the service the framework through which to achieve that. The council began exploring the certification in 2019. They gained the Bronze certification for primary schools in 2021, adding early years sites in 2024.

Stephen says partnership working across the city, with organisations like Nourish Scotland, APSE, NHS health boards and ASSIST FM – as well as the Food for Life Scotland team – makes the difference to their delivery. “We get great support from our partners,” he says, “and that just makes it easier for everybody on their food journey.”

Glasgow’s school pupils are the key stakeholders

Pupils are at the centre of Glasgow’s service and active participants in the development of the annual school meals menu. With the cost of living and food prices continuing to rise, free school meals for P1-5 classes give pupils across the city access to healthy, nutritious and sustainable food every school day. The menu is updated every April, after a six-month process that includes pupil working groups and parent webinars, to make sure the meals on offer are meeting pupils’ needs.

The school food experience extends beyond the plate. Pupils learn more about where their food comes from and its impacts on health and the environment through supplier visits, chef demonstrations, and council-led activities and campaigns. For example, the council’s Waste Warriors campaign gives school pupils the opportunity to help reduce food waste. Schools measure food waste at the end of lunchtime and compare with neighbouring primary schools. Stephen says pupils love the competitive element, understand the value and importance of food waste reduction, and are more connected to their school meals as a result.

Food for Life Scotland support has helped caterers upskill

There’s positive change in the kitchens, too, with staff upskilling and taking more value and pride from their roles as a result of the certification. Training sessions on the FFLSH standards and seasonality have been of particular benefit. “The FFLS team are so passionate and knowledgeable about what they do,” says Stephen. “My team come away from training sessions feeling enthused and motivated. With the support and expertise that was offered, we’ve got an excellent menu that we’re all very proud of.”

Stephen says the ongoing collaboration with the FFLS team, and the programme support offer to certification holders, has made all the difference to their bottom line. As well as training and guidance on meeting the FFLSH standards, Food for Life Scotland offer free menu development support and supply chain guidance.  

“The FFLS team reviewed our purchasing and procurement data and identified opportunities to reduce costs and source some ingredients more affordably,” says Stephen. “Their support was invaluable in helping us to design a menu without significant cost exposure. We all know food prices are going up, but we’ve found the FFLSH Bronze certification can be achieved on a broadly cost-neutral basis through the collaboration with Food for Life Scotland and our procurement partners.

“We value the independent assurance that comes with FFLSH Bronze. It’s a robust process that demonstrates our commitment to quality, and we’re proud to maintain the certification. By staying organised and working together, we’ve found the annual renewal process straightforward.”

Inspiring people to think about food in a different way

With wins for Glasgow Gaelic School and the council’s Central Production Unit at the Scottish School Food Awards, Stephen says their success comes down to taking a broader view of school meal delivery. “The day job is big, it’s challenging, you’re on a treadmill – but you have to focus on the bigger picture. The only way we’ve really cut through the day-to-day job is by involving all the stakeholders and partners, communicating and engaging, and trying to inspire people to think about food in a different way.”

The ambition now is to progress further, with the long-term goal of achieving the FFLSH Silver certification – which includes introducing more organic produce to the menu – and embedding Good Food Nation principles across the system.

“It’s very easy to focus on budget and efficiencies. All that leads to, in my view, is a race to the bottom. We want to be the custodians of the food journey. We want to make sure that we are putting healthy food on the plates of as many people as possible in Glasgow – and we believe that we’re in a good place to do that.”