Food Procurement in South Tyneside

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Catering & Procurement

Using public food to drive healthier and more sustainable choices

The Catering & Procurement theme recognises the important role public food plays in shaping daily food choices across schools, council services and community settings. By improving food standards, reducing waste and embedding sustainability into contracts and supply chains, partners are helping ensure that publicly funded food supports better health, lower environmental impact and stronger local supply networks. This work helps set consistent expectations that benefit people, planet and the wider food system.

Council School Catering Service

Putting planetary health into practice through everyday school meals.

South Tyneside Council’s catering service provides around 350,000 school lunches each year across 42 sites, using food as a practical way to support children’s health, climate goals and inclusion. Menus are designed around a planetary health approach, with meat-free days, at least 50% of meals meat-free, and vegetarian and vegan options available daily. Sustainably sourced fish is prioritised, and menus are shaped to meet a wide range of cultural, dietary and health needs.

By embedding sustainability and nutrition into everyday catering, the service is helping young people develop healthier eating habits while reducing the environmental impact of public food.

Find out more about school food in South Tyneside

Sustainable South Tyneside Strategy

Embedding sustainability into how food is bought, served and consumed.

The Council’s Sustainable South Tyneside Strategy sets out a clear commitment to reducing carbon emissions, cutting single-use plastics and embedding sustainable procurement across services. Food and catering play a key role, with an emphasis on reducing waste, supporting lower-carbon choices and ensuring public spending contributes to wider environmental goals.

This strategic approach ensures that sustainability is not an add-on, but part of how decisions are made across food, contracts and service delivery.

Explore South Tyneside’s sustainability commitments

Social Value through Procurement (TOMs Framework)

Using public spending to reward good food practice.

South Tyneside Council integrates the TOMs Social Value Framework into procurement contracts, ensuring suppliers are recognised and rewarded for delivering wider social and environmental benefits. This includes “Good Food” practices such as ethical sourcing, reducing food waste, improving nutrition and supporting local communities.

By embedding social value into food and catering contracts, procurement becomes a lever for positive change — not just a route to compliance.

Learn more about social value in Council procurement

Food For Life in South Tyneside Schools

Food for Life in Schools

Raising standards and reconnecting children with food.

Several South Tyneside primary schools are working towards national accreditation through the Food for Life programme, which promotes high-quality, nutritious meals alongside food education, cooking skills and food growing.

Participation supports schools to improve their food culture as a whole — from what’s on the plate to how children understand food, health and sustainability

Find out more about Food For Life

ProVeg Silver for South Tyneside Catering Team

Leading the way in nutritious, sustainable school meals.

South Tyneside’s school catering service has achieved the ProVeg Silver Award, one of only two awarded nationally. This accolade recognises the borough’s commitment to providing nutritious, plant-based meals that support children’s health while reducing the environmental impact of catering.

The award reflects a focus on menu innovation, sustainability, and balanced nutrition, ensuring pupils enjoy meals that are both healthy and appealing. By prioritising plant-based options alongside seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, schools are helping children develop lifelong healthy eating habits.

This initiative also connects to wider efforts in the borough to embed sustainability and food education within school settings, supporting teachers, parents, and young people to make informed choices about what they eat.

Learn more about the ProVeg Award

Healthy Schools Award

Supporting healthier schools, one meal at a time.

Every council-run school in South Tyneside has signed up to the Healthy Schools Award, demonstrating a commitment to providing healthy food, balanced nutrition, and a supportive learning environment. The award requires schools to show clear evidence of healthy food provision alongside education and activities that encourage positive eating habits.

Through this programme, pupils are not only offered nutritious meals at school but are also supported in developing knowledge and skills around healthy eating, creating habits that can last a lifetime. The award aligns with wider borough initiatives, such as plant-based menus, community cooking projects, and targeted support for families, reinforcing a whole-system approach to health and wellbeing.

Find out more about South Tyneside’s Healthy Schools programme

Reducing Food Waste in Schools & Public Catering - STOC Good Food - STOC Good Food

Reducing Food Waste in Schools & Public Catering (Eat Smart / BIND)

Turning food waste reduction into real savings and learning.

South Tyneside’s catering & carbon reduction team has partnered with Eat Smart, delivered by BIND, to tackle food waste in schools and public sector catering. So far, four schools have taken part, with plans to expand to twelve more. Pupils, staff and caterers co-designed solutions such as tasting clubs, classroom food caddies and awareness campaigns.

The results have been significant — £10,000–£35,000 savings and 6–12 tonnes of CO₂e avoided per school.

Bespoke food-waste training has also been rolled out across schools, libraries and leisure centres, embedding sustainable practice into everyday service delivery.

Find out more about BIND’s Eat Smart Project

Sustainable Procurement & NEPO Supplier Support

Opening public food supply chains to local and responsible suppliers.

Most school, care and public sector food in South Tyneside is procured through NEPO (North East Procurement Organisation), ensuring quality, compliance and value across food contracts. Recognising that these frameworks can be challenging for small producers to access, NEPO has developed a Supplier Partnership Programme, offering guidance, support and clearer routes into public sector supply.

South Tyneside Council actively participates in this programme, helping local suppliers navigate procurement processes while embedding social value, including food education and sustainability into contracts.

A guide from South Tyneside Council for suppliers

NEPO Supplier Partnership Programme

Council School Catering Team

Sustainable South Tyneside

Social Values in Procurement

Food For Life – Schools

Pro Veg

Healthy Schools Award

Eat Smart

NEPO Supplier Support

More Sustainable Food Information

Find out more about local food businesses, sustainable food projects and the wider work taking place across South Tyneside.

Food Business Support in South Tyneside

Sustainable Food in South Tyneside

Local Food Businesses in South Tyneside