Local, sustainable and healthy food systems: the role of anchor institutions
10.15-11.15am
Room: 104
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Our current food system is reliant on unsustainable practices by extractive, shareholder-oriented companies and is delivering soaring food bank use, childhood obesity and unequal health outcomes. To counter this, anchor institutions can play a key role in improving access to local, sustainable and healthy food, by using their procurement power as a lever to drive improvements in local economic, social, cultural, environmental, health and wellbeing outcomes.
The government’s commitments – to reforming procurement rules in favour of SMEs, insourcing public services and sourcing at least 50% of the £5bn of national public sector food spend from British producers or those certified to higher environmental standards – form a supportive backdrop for change, but there are major challenges too.
This roundtable will bring together representatives from anchor institutions and experts in food systems change to explore those challenges and what can be done to overcome them, in the process highlighting examples of national innovation in the area of healthy, sustainable and local food procurement.
Speakers
Julian Boys (Chair) is CLES’s Associate Director for Economic Strategy. He joined CLES in January 2024, bringing over a decade’s experience working internationally on the economics of sustainable inclusive development. As a consultant, academic and civil servant he has advised the governments of the UK and various other localities, as well as international organisations, donors, social businesses and NGOs. Julian holds a PhD in Economics from SOAS, University of London.
Katerina Aliri-Gent is a Procurement Programme Manager at Manchester City Council, with over 15 years’ experience in commissioning and contract management, especially around social care. Her current role focuses on supporting and upskilling contract managers across departments to embed good commissioning practice, improve contract management, and strengthen MCC’s approach to social value and environmental goals. She’s worked on a wide range of projects, including social care commissioning, systems implementation (including the development of a new contract management system), and provision of social value advice and support on major contracts (including the Wythenshawe redevelopment), always with a focus on delivering better outcomes for communities.
Huw Thomas is the Director of Finance for Hywel Dda University Health Board. In his early career, Huw worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in London, Bristol and Cardiff. Initially, his clients were within the banking sector before he specialised in NHS, local authority and third sector clients. He worked for the NHS in England before moving back to Wales to work for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, and served on their Governing Council. He has also been a trustee of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, and served as the chair for their Wales branch. He currently chairs the NHS Wales Directors of Finance forum.
Adrian Morely is a Research Fellow in Sustainable Food Systems and Food Policy at Manchester Metropolitan University. He focusses on inter-connectivities between food production and consumption, environmental sustainability, economic development, health and social justice. In recent years, he has provided expert advice to the European Commission, the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) the House of Lords and House of Commons. He is also a former Chair of the Good Food Greater Manchester food policy network.
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