A staggering 94% of vegetables served in Welsh schools are imported, with only 6% grown locally, according to Food Sense Wales.
The charity is spearheading efforts to increase that figure to 10% by 2028, through locally sourced and organically grown produce, but warns that more Welsh growers are urgently needed.
Food Sense Wales has highlighted that factors such as climate change and global instability are driving up the cost of food imports, making it essential for Wales to strengthen its local supply chains. Katy Palmer, the charity’s founder, stressed the importance of this initiative: “Building our own supply base is vital. This would reduce our reliance on imports through connecting local growers with local wholesalers.”
Currently, the project benefits from Welsh government funding, which runs until March 2024, with potential for further support in the 2025-26 financial year.
For Welsh growers like Emma and Geraint Evans, who run a nine-acre fruit and vegetable farm in the Vale of Glamorgan, the project has been a lifeline. “We thought we’d grow veg and people would just buy it, but it’s not that easy,” said Emma Evans. “You need to build a reputation. We only want to sell what we grow.”
Palmer emphasised that despite the challenge, the charity has ambitious goals. "We have got a big ambition to get 10% of the veg that's going into schools grown organically in Wales. Before this project, that was practically zero."
Ysgol St Baruc in Barry is one of the schools participating in the initiative. Kitchen manager Georgina Thomas has already incorporated locally sourced vegetables into meals for the students. “I’ve made a pasta bake for the kids. We’ve hidden courgettes, butternut squash, and onions in there, and we’ve roasted them for extra servings.”
The students are enjoying the fresh produce, with one, Mollie, expressing her appreciation: “I honestly feel lucky because not many people can grow their own vegetables locally. They have to buy it at the supermarket.”
Food wholesaler Castell Howell, based in Carmarthenshire, plays a key role in the supply chain, providing ingredients for 700,000 school meals weekly across 1,000 Welsh schools. Edward Morgan, group manager at Castell Howell, said: “The sooner the veg gets harvested, the quicker we can get them to the depot, and the quicker we get them into schools, reducing the loss of nutritional value.”
Looking ahead, the goal is to get more Welsh-grown vegetables into school kitchens across the country, a plan supported by the Welsh government. A government spokesperson said, "The project has already helped to develop capability and capacity amongst local growers to supply the public sector."
As Food Sense Wales pushes to boost local vegetable production, the initiative is gaining momentum, but with the March 2024 funding deadline looming, it remains to be seen whether the charity will reach its ambitious 2028 target.
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