GETTING more Hampshire produce on the menu at the county's schools and hospitals is a step closer thanks to a two-year project by Hampshire County Council's economic development office. The project was launched to foster greater links between local producers and the public sector, and reconnect people with the food chain. As the project comes to a close, a large number of the farmers and producers who took part are reporting an increase in demand from the public sector. The purpose of the project was also to identify barriers to sourcing locally and find possible workable solutions to overcoming these. It is one of many rural pathfinder projects funded by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the South East England Development Agency, and other partners. A number of schemes and initiatives have taken place as a result of the project. For example, public sector food buyers have been taken to Hampshire farms to meet farmers, meetings have been held with senior Army representatives who oversee food contracts to discuss increasing local food on mess menus, and a DVD has been produced for parents to promote school meals. Hampshire County Council's catering service – HC3S, which supplies school meals for 444 primary and special schools and 29 secondary schools in the county, and is a great advocate of local produce, has added local pork products to its menu. This is in addition to a growing range of locally- sourced foods that have been gradually built up in the last few years, bringing the number of local producers supplying HC3S to 28. Food champions Hampshire Fare, which represents and promotes local producers of food, drink and craft based in the county, have overseen many of the activities carried out as part of this project. Hampshire Fare was invited to present at an international food procurement workshop in London last February because the county is now nationally recognised as taking an innovative approach to reconnecting consumers and the food chain. The executive member for economic development at the county council, Michael Woodhall, said: "With issues such as the origin of produce and food miles coming under increasing media scrutiny there has never been a better time to carry out a project all about getting fresh, local produce on local plates. "Only by creating greater opportunities for regional producers to access contracts with the public sector can this be achieved. The good news is that since the launch of the project two years ago 71 per cent of the producers taking part have reported an increase in demand from the public sector. "There is still a lot of work to do, but the project has shown that there is real interest in the public sector for procuring food and drink locally. "Hampshire County Council will do what it can to help foster these links because reconnecting people with local produce not only supports the local economy, it also benefits the environment as foods travels fewer miles to reach people's plates."
