LACA National Conference 2009, Incorporating the School Meals Catering Exhibition
Article Type: Conference reports From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 40, Issue 1.
8-10 July 2009, Hilton Birmingham Metropole
The annual event brought together key catering personnel from local education authorities to network and discuss the issues they face.
It was a lively and topical conference with attendees from all aspects of school catering services.
The event is brought annually by Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA)– the professional body representing catering managers and suppliers who provide catering services to UK local authorities.
The conference programme included:
National School Meals 2009.
The Vision for Children's Health – facing the obesity challenge and the contribution school food can make.
Healthy Schools – uniting the healthy schools programme with the school meals service.
A whole school approach – what it takes to make it work.
The School Food Trust – update on key initiatives and campaigns in England.
Update on the Free School Meals Pilots and the Hungry for Success Campaign.
Exhibition
The exhibition is a key aspect of the event and enables attendees to obtain inspiration and information about new products and services.
Attendance at the exhibition is free to anyone involved in school catering,which means that school cooks, governors, head-teachers and providers are regularly attracted to attend.
The exhibition is extremely large and is composed of three halls of displays relevant to caterers in the school meals service.
It included:
Complete catering services to schools from large catering companies.
All types of food products and beverages particularly suited to school food standards. These are accompanied by product information and nutrient contents plus often invaluable recipe leaflets.
Equipment and non-food items to assist caterers.
Information technology which enables such procedures as nutritional analysis of school lunches and systems for payment for lunches on line.
Information from the school food trust on nutrition in schools and the standards for school food which is essential for anyone involved in the production of food.
Overall this is a popular and invaluable conference and exhibition and one well worth looking out for in 2010.
