Taste of sustainability success for Telford Catering team in award win

The University of Wolverhampton, Telford Innovation Campus was up against some stiff competition when it scooped an award at the Triple Bottom Line (TBL15) Procurement Awards recently - giving them a real taste of success.

The catering team at the University’s Telford Innovation Campus were joint winners of the Value Chain Management Award with the National Trust. Tate and Lyle, Pret a Manger and the Casual Dining Group were all revealed as other category winners, each taking home a TBL15 Award.

Increasingly applied in the commercial world, Triple Bottom Line (TBL) is a business theory that measures an organisation not only by its profit, but also its impact on people and planet within its sphere of business. The awards recognised an elite group of the most proactive individual Procurement professionals for supply chain excellence; going beyond the immediate call of buying on price, quality and service and driving sustainable practice in the supply chain process.

The Catering department’s drive was to ensure a healthy, sustainable catering service was delivered with minimum impact on the environment.  To assist in the delivery the University committed to the Soil Association Food for Life programme, achieving Bronze standard in the first year followed by Silver in year two.

Telford Innovation Campus Chefs visited neighbouring Apley Estate to view its range of heritage fresh fruit and vegetables resulting in albino carrots and exploding courgettes appearing on the menus – vegetables that were served within four hours of being pulled or picked.

All menus were reviewed to reflect the use of local seasonal produce, promoting where possible the use of fresh fruit and vegetables, Fairtrade bananas and 100% Red Tractor assured meat. Fish is Marine Stewardship Certified (MSC) and all eggs are free range.  The menus place emphasis on using more pulses and beans and less meat and healthier dishes were added focusing on less fried food, the introduction of a salad bar, more vegetarian dishes, and meat free days.

Apley Estate hosted a workshop on campus involving students trying fresh vegetables and offering feedback on issues such as healthy options, cost, free range, organic, MSC fish, variety, and locally grown produce.

Amanda Shipley, Catering and Retail Manager at the University of Wolverhampton, said: “This prestigious award in the catering industry is the ultimate recognition for leadership and innovation in procurement. Our catering teams across all of our campuses work really hard to ensure that they are sourcing food products ethically and that they are continually and positively engaging with local suppliers.

“The fact that we were joint winners with the National Trust shows how hard the catering team at our Telford Campus has worked to ensure that we have a sustainable balance between profit and the impact of our supplier and procurement process.

“The awards for excellence in the supply chain were open to all Procurement and Supply Chain leaders in the foodservice and retail fields. From five core categories a maximum of three individuals were acknowledged as the top performers in their category and we’re really proud to have picked up one of those coveted awards.”

Picture Caption: From left to right Kitchen & Deputy Catering Manager, Mark Reeves-Williams and Sous Chef, Mark Dunphy, with the TBL15 award

The newly refurbished Conference Centre at Telford Innovation Campus offers an inclusive lounge area with eight meeting room options all conveniently placed on one floor. To enquire about your next conference or event, email conferences@wlv.ac.uk.

ENDS

For more information please contact the Media Relations Office on 01902 322003/322736

Date Issued: 6^th January 2016