13.03.07
Work begins on innovative food production unit

Work on a £3.6 million central food production unit has begun following the approval of Objective One and NHS investment.

The Central Food Production Unit (CFPU) is set to deliver a transformation in the way meals are provided for hospitals across Cornwall. At the same time it will contribute to regeneration and economic sustainability within the region by sourcing local produce and this in turn will help the environment by cutting food miles. It is also anticipated that in the future the unit will expand commercially by supplying food to other organisations in the region.

Kerrier District Council granted planning permission last year for the new facility, which is being built next to the Camborne-Redruth hospital site. Now the project has secured almost £2 million investment from the Objective One European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Fund for the capital build. The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust will provide the staff and purchasing power for the raw ingredients.

The CFPU will answer the growing challenge of providing meals at the Royal Cornwall Hospital from a kitchen that was built to cater for a considerably smaller number of patients than it now does. It has the potential to also provide meals for hospitals across Cornwall where, for some years, food has been transported a considerable distance into Cornwall for patients. Instead everything will be prepared and cooked locally, using locally grown and bought ingredients, wherever possible.

It is the next step in developing the innovative and successful Cornwall Food Programme, which has been supported by investment from Objective One, Defra and the Soil Association, to maximise the use of local produce in hospital meals. This scheme has been nationally recognised as an example to others.

David Rodda, Senior Agricultural Co-ordinator for the Cornwall Agricultural Development Team said: "We have supported this project from the very beginning and have worked closely with the project team to bring the CFPU to fruition. The opportunity that this facility will provide for the supply of locally produced ingredients is greatly welcomed and will build on the existing good work of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust. The creation of the CFPU will see a considerable increase in the range and quantity of produce purchased from local farms and food producers."

Head of Hotel Services for the NHS in Cornwall, Mike Pearson, said: "This is a great opportunity, not only to continue to provide the very high standards of catering our hospitals are already acknowledged for, but also to increase our ability to support local businesses and make the most of the wonderful fresh produce that is on offer in Cornwall. With specialist preparation space we will be able to make use of more raw materials, working with large and smaller local suppliers, to make sure we can offer meals with the nutritional benefits that can be such an important part of helping patients to get well. There is also great potential to expand into providing food preparation and raw material processing for other local organisations."

Meals will be prepared by the existing teams of chefs from the hospitals in a similar way to those available at high street supermarkets such as Marks & Spencer or Waitrose. They will then be transported from the food production unit to hospitals across Cornwall to be cooked on the wards along with steamed vegetables or prepared salads. These meals will be designed to provide a healthy balanced diet, catering for a wide range of special needs and will be prepared so their nutritional value is maintained right to the point of serving. Along with maximising the use of local produce, the food production unit has economic and environmental benefits with sustainability at the forefront of its design.

Martin Pellow, Hotel Services Manager (Catering Operations), said, "One thing the food production unit definitely won't mean is any compromise on quality. We have a very professional team and are proud of the high standards we achieve. It's a different way of providing the meals and with the excellent local produce that can be found in Cornwall, we'll be able to improve our food even further."

Cllr Graeme Hicks, Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Planning at Kerrier District Council said: "This development has the potential to create a significant number of jobs, bolstering our local economy. It also shows how the forthcoming Barncoose link road is already helping to promote the regeneration of the area."

The building will also house a test kitchen which will allow all recipes to be checked out not only for their nutritional value, but also to test their suitability for the food service systems to ensure that the meal will be perfect when the patient receives it. In addition to this, the unit will have some of the most up to date large scale catering equipment in Cornwall, creating the opportunity to form partnerships with our local colleges to allow catering students to get to see and to work on this new equipment and to gain a greater understanding of large scale commercial catering.

Roy Heath, Sustainable Food Development Manager, said: "The unit gives us great scope to further increase our range of locally sourced products. We will have the facilities to process vegetables straight from the farmer, allowing us to develop more links with smaller, local suppliers, including organic producers, and offer more seasonal produce on our menus. It will be able to take the successes we have already achieved and deliver them right across the county."

The development of the food production unit is being led by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, as a partnership project for the NHS across Cornwall and is being developed as part of the NHS LIFT (Local Improvement Finance Trust) initiative in Cornwall by the county's LIFTco, Community 1st Cornwall Limited. This is the first LIFT project to be signed between Community 1st Cornwall and the Acute Trust and demonstrates the breadth of regeneration activities LIFT can participate in and successfully deliver to improve Cornwall's health and social care and support services infrastructure.

Carleen Kelemen, Director of the Objective One Partnership said: "Good quality, locally grown food, prepared locally, cooked locally and delivered locally is a successful recipe for healthy communities. This is an innovative and long awaited project which will bring together a number of initiatives from field-to-plate, reduction in food miles and quality nourishment for patients both in and out of hospital. By sourcing locally year round and supporting local farmers and food producers, high quality food products are guaranteed for those in the health care environment."

Ground preparation works have begun on site and the unit is due for completion in February 2008.

For further information contact Press and Public Relations Office, Royal Cornwall Hospital 01872 252934.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Cornwall Food Production Unit through the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee fund (EAGGF).

Editor's notes:

The development of the food production unit is being led by the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, as a partnership project for the NHS across Cornwall and is being developed as part of the NHS LIFT (Local Improvement Finance Trust) initiative in Cornwall by the county's LIFTco, Community 1st Cornwall Limited.

More information on the Cornwall Food Programme can be found at:
www.cornwall.nhs.uk/CPTAnnualReport05/OurSupportServices/CHESS/CornwallFoodProgramme.aspx

The Department of Health, the local healthcare community and the private sector have joined forces to establish a Joint Venture company, Community 1st Cornwall. Cornwall's LIFT programme brings together Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust, Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust, Cornwall County Council, Penwith District Council, Restormel Borough Council, Carrick District Council, North Cornwall District Council, Caradon District Council. LIFT will run for 25 years, and schemes currently planned over the first five years include Primary Care Centres in Liskeard (already operational), Roche (already operational), Penzance and Camelford, plus the primary care health park development in Truro.

The Cornwall Food Programme has worked in partnership with Objective One; the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Soil Association; NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency; Department of Health and the Regional Development Agency, and is supported by all the NHS Trusts in the county.

The sustainable procurement project is a local organic sourcing partnership initiative delivered by Soil Association, Organic South West (Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly) and Cornwall NHS Health Community.

The post of sustainable food procurement manager for the NHS Food programme, has received investment from the Organic South West Soil Association, an Objective One gateway fund. Organic South West is part funded by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund and DEFRA under the Objective One Programme and is managed as a regional office of the Soil Association.

The Objective One Programme also invested in a nine-month feasibility study to investigate and identify improved ways in which the Cornwall healthcare community can develop food processing and meal production that will benefit patients, staff and visitors at hospitals throughout Cornwall.

www.cornwall.nhs.uk/rcht

For further information please contact the Press & Public Relations Office, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, TR1 3LJ, 01872 252934 during office hours or 01872 250000 for urgent enquiries at other times.

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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