Sustainability & Carbon Workshop Held at Bournemouth & Poole College in Partnership with NHS England and The Chefs’ Forum to Shape the Future of Healthcare Foodservice

Bournemouth, 25 March 2025 – Bournemouth & Poole College kindly hosted the final workshop in a six-part national series focused on sustainability and carbon reduction within healthcare foodservice. Delivered in collaboration with NHS England and The Chefs’ Forum, the workshop marked a significant step in preparation for the upcoming second edition of The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge— The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge 2: Eating The Rainbow—with a sharpened focus on helping NHS England and its chefs, Catering Managers and Foodservice Stakeholders achieve net zero targets by 2030.

Phil Shelley, Senior Operational & Policy Manager for NHS England, reflected on the significance of the event

“The Sustainability Workshop in Bournemouth & Poole was the last in our current series of six, and it perfectly encapsulated the collaboration between healthcare and education. From suppliers to chefs, we are united in our mission to drive sustainable change in healthcare foodservice. The insights from all six sessions will now be shaped into a practical strategy, which we look forward to sharing in THCK2: Eating the Rainbow.”

The latest interactive session brought together an inspiring mix of thought leaders and sustainable, carbon-conscious suppliers who are kindly sponsoring the book’s publication, as well as innovators from across healthcare catering and sustainability sectors, including Andrea Zick, Ph.D. researcher at the UK Food Systems Centre for Doctoral Training. Together, they explored actionable strategies to reshape NHS menus for the future, prioritising nutrition, carbon-conscious sourcing, and food at the heart of recovery and well-being.

Max Kindred, Net Zero Senior Insight Manager at NHS England was delighted to attend the event, he said

“It was great to see some of the country’s biggest and best catering operations present today. We got fantastic input from all of the Catering Managers, chefs, suppliers and sustainability leads who attended, as well as a great turnout from NHS Supply Chain. It was also really insightful to get a wider perspective on food systems across NHS Trusts in Dorset and Hampshire.”

Bryony Barlow from Wrapex presented on the recyclability and high quality of new film and foil rolls, offering more sustainable packaging solutions for NHS catering, she said

“It has been so interesting learning about all of the sustainability initiatives being implemented across NHS England and we are delighted to be Headline Sponsors of The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge 2: Eating The Rainbow. At Wrapex, with our Speedwrap Pro dispensing system, we can certainly connect with some of the initiatives in lowering carbon emissions and helping healthcare kitchens to become more sustainable . We have moved all of our production back to the UK, we’ve also introduced plastic-free refill rolls, which are now fully recyclable, together with our Eco cling film range, which is a PVC cling film roll.”

Brianna Matley from Supporting Sponsor Queensland Bakery introduced a new range of NHS dietician-approved, nutritionally dense cake and baked snacks designed to support patient nutrition through all-day snack availability, for patients who either miss meals or don’t have too much of an appetite. The range is available in three categories, classic, vegan and higher protein.

Brett Fowler, Sales Director, Queensland Bakery said

“At Queensland Bakery we’re delighted to be supporting The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge 2 – Eating the Rainbow. With our NHS dietitian-approved Marybake Health range, our aim is simple: to meet the needs of NHS patients with tasty, patient-focused snacks and desserts. We offer higher protein, vegan and classic options to improve patient nutrition whilst providing much needed moments of pleasure. Great taste, nutrient dense, individually wrapped portions means less waste; just one of our environmental goals with Marybake Health.”

Nick Vadis, Culinary Lead for NHS Supply chain, played a big part in the practical element of the day, cooking the sustainable carbon-friendly lunch with the students from Bournemouth and Poole College and leading the activity on recipe reformulation ideas, he concluded

“Teaching the delegates about ways in which recipe reformulation with the aid of tools like one of our much-valued Headline Sponsors, Saffron by CIVICA can be used to reduce carbon totals in recipe redesign processes and their reformulation. Recipe development, fresh ingredients, and reducing food waste are all very important to us here at NHS England and today’s session reinforced to all of us, that food must remain central to patient recovery and overall well-being. Our chefs must take into account seasonality and buying with the seasons and using produce at its best. In following proven and tested recipes, we will achieve a consistency of offer, that will enable us to effectively manage food waste and prevent over production. Continuous training and development are the key components to empowering our NHS Chef teams to be the best they can be each and every day for the benefit of patients , staff and visitors.”

Jacklyn Case, Marketing Director from Headline Sponsor, NH Case highlighted the need for flexibility and innovation in NHS supply chains and championed the inclusion of SMEs to facilitate diverse, agile solutions. A delicious Hoki curry was served for lunch, which is a sustainable fish species supplied to hospitals the country.

Jacklyn said

“This has been another great session today, and it has been fascinating to hear about all the ways in which NHS England is striving to reduce its carbon footprint and enhance sustainability. NH Case has been supplying the NHS for nearly 60 years with a diverse range of sustainable fish species and low-carbon ready meals. It is our pleasure to support this new publication, enabling us to communicate how we can assist NHS healthcare caterers in producing sustainable and delicious meals for patients, staff and visitors.”

As the NHS continues its journey toward net zero by 2030, the discussions and outcomes from this workshop series will directly inform the strategic direction of foodservice operations across the sector—ensuring that sustainability, seasonality, and quality remain core pillars of the future NHS menu.

Film & photography by Carlos Farinha @carlosclickuk