08.01.13
NHS Supply Chain launches support for food GBS
A new web page has been launched to support trusts working to adopt new Government Buying Standards (GBS) for food and catering services launched by Defra.
The page will be added to NHS Supply Chain’s existing catering micro site to provide trusts with information about suppliers that meet new standards, help improve nutritional values and buy more sustainably.
The GBS includes criteria such as animal welfare, salt and saturated fat reduction, food waste and packaging.
Stephanie Proctor, ethical and sustainability manager at NHS Supply Chain, said: “Hospital catering has come to the forefront of public attention over the past couple of years, and many NHS trusts have already been working hard to develop the nutritional content and sustainable credentials of hospital food to improve the patient experience.
“GBS are a priority category for NHS Supply Chain and we are working hard to increase the visibility of supplier information for NHS trusts.
“As a business, we fully support the standards. They provide clear guidelines for how NHS trusts can take a more sustainable approach to procuring food and catering services. Our new web page provides a simple and straightforward way for trusts to compare products on NHS Supply Chain framework agreements against the criteria set out in the GBS, helping to meet their own sustainability objectives.”
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