Foodbuy Announce Retention of NHS Supply Chain Food Category

24 March 2023

Foodbuy, a leading food and beverage procurement company, has retained a major contract with NHS Supply Chain. The contract will commence in July 2023, and we will be responsible for providing the central resource for food procurement across the NHS.

The contract was awarded to Foodbuy as part of the NHS Supply Chain ‘Operating Model implementation’ programme which sets out the design of a new NHS Supply Chain service as it looks to deliver greater value for the NHS.

Since 2018, Foodbuy has been responsible as Category Tower Provider for food for NHS Supply Chain with a dedicated team operating under the NHS Supply Chain: Food. During this time, we have optimised its supply base and leveraged the scale and purchasing power of the NHS to deliver quality products and added services. Since our partnership began, we have delivered over £10 million in savings for the NHS.

In 2020, the Chef’s Academy was established by our culinary experts, Nick Vadis and Stephen England, on behalf of NHS Supply Chain: Food after recognising a gap in training and resources for NHS chefs. The award-winning Chef’s Academy has helped develop the skills and culinary knowledge of chefs, offering an opportunity to feel a sense of community and pride within their roles, and acting as a way of attracting and retaining staff through continued professional development.

Food is an important aspect of patient recovery and well-being, and we’re proud to play a part in helping the NHS procure fresh, high-quality ingredients as well as deliver savings which all go back into the NHS to fund hospitals where they need it.

Karl Atkins, Managing Director of Foodbuy commented:
“I am delighted that Foodbuy has been awarded the NHS Supply Chain: Food contract, this is a significant retention for us, and we are proud of what we have delivered during our first five-year term. The contract was won based on our passion for healthy, nutritious, and sustainable food in the NHS and our ambition to build on the strong base we have developed so far ensuring that patients, visitors, and staff remain at the heart of all our decisions.

We are excited to continue the award-winning Chef’s Academy program, offering training to develop skills and culinary knowledge which to date has seen 200 chefs take part. We are looking forward to supporting the NHS Supply Chain as they implement their new Operating Model, and we are dedicated to continuing to bring insight, innovation and great value to the NHS moving forward.”