Love British Food Joins Forces With The Hospital Caterers Association To Bring Home The Harvest

Autumn 2014 marks the return of the Bring Home the Harvest campaign for British Food Fortnight, which runs from 20 September to 5 October, and this year, the Hospital Caterers Association is encouraging its Members to get involved.

The two organisations have joined forces to release a comprehensive guide for Hospital Caterers, which is packed with tips and ideas for taking part, has sections on sourcing locally and seasonally, suggestions for recipes and children's activities, plus ways to involve the whole hospital community in harvest activities.

The Hospital Caterers Association is a hub for nutrition and catering advice and best practice for the trade. It champions the sourcing and use of local and seasonal food in hospital meals and as well as British Food Fortnight, supports campaigns such as the NHS sustainability day, Nutrition & Hydration Week and James Martin's Operation Hospital Food.

Andy Jones, National Chair of the Hospital Caterers Association says, “We are delighted to be working with Love British Food to promote activities during British Food Fortnight. The two weeks are a great reminder for caterers and their suppliers that they should think about incorporating local and seasonal produce into their cooking.

“By making small changes to purchasing patterns and menus, we can make a big difference to the quality of healthcare catering in the long term.”

British Food Fortnight is the largest showcase of British food on the national calendar, and its Bring Home the Harvest campaign encourages hospitals, retailers, producers, schools, young people and all other sectors of the community to take part by organising activities which celebrate British food and the harvest.

Jones continues, "this shows how the HCA is building on the Hospital Food Plan and how the HCA and Love British Food have already started to address some of the recommendations made. Plus I have already called for ALL HCA Members to change their menus to use fresh fruit and vegetables as a minimum."

Love British Food Founder, Alexia Robinson adds, “Following the tremendous response to last year's Bring Home the Harvest campaign, we are inviting Hospital Caterers to join us. It is so important for everyone, no matter where they are, to have access to wholesome food, and how better to do this than through a fun national promotion that gets everyone involved.”

Other initiatives happening during British Food Fortnight include a challenge to find the community and the group of young people who organise the most imaginative and inclusive harvest celebration; a fun social media campaign; and the National Harvest Service, in Birmingham Cathedral. Further details and entry forms are at www.lovebritishfood.co.uk.  British Food Fortnight and the Bring Home the Harvest campaign are sponsored by Tesco and Aramark and supported by a large family of organisations of which HCA is a leading participant.

 www.lovebritishfood.co.uk, 

Chef Wise website .