Preparing for food supply chain changes
Updated 7 February 2023
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/preparing-for-food-supply-problems-from-1-january-2021
How schools, further education (FE) colleges and local authorities should prepare for possible changes to their food supply chain from 1 January 2021.
The new UK Border Operating Model applies to all goods entering the UK from 11pm on 31 December 2020.
It is important that all schools, FE colleges and local authorities are prepared for potential changes to food supplies so they can minimise the effect on pupils and young people in their care.
Contacting suppliers
You should contact any food suppliers, to check whether:
- they’ll need to change meals or ingredients
- their secondary suppliers are prepared
Making changes to school menus
The school food standards allow you to make changes to school meals but you’ll still need to:
- meet nutritional standards
- meet pupils’ special dietary needs
- manage allergens
- provide meals to registered pupils who request one
- provide free meals to pupils who qualify
You may need to consider whether changes are necessary. These might include:
- varying the timing and number of deliveries to allow for transport delays
- being as flexible as possible on delivery times during the day
- ordering longer shelf life products during this period, such as frozen foods or foods that can be safely stored at room temperature
Checking for allergens
You should also ensure that you avoid allergens if you change meals or ingredients. Check that you are:
- following the guidance on managing food allergies in schools
- following the allergen guidance for caterers
- use the Dishes and their allergen content menu chart to help identify allergens if you adapt your menus
- reading labels and product information for any new foods you use
- aware of which pupils in your school have allergies and can identify these pupils
- still meeting the nutritional standards and special dietary requirements