Cateys 2023: Public Sector Caterer: Jayne Jones, Argyll and Bute Council
Argyll and Bute Council's Jayne Jones wins the Public Sector Caterer award, sponsored by Bidfood
Jayne Jones is known across the industry for quietly getting on with delivering innovative, leading ways of nourishing children and young people. Through technology and partnerships she has created real change for those in schools, hospitals, care homes and community food venues across the country. Her work spans not only across the public sector and policy areas, but also local government, Scottish government and the third sector.
This award winner wears many hats, but one of the most recent influential roles she has held is chair of Assist FM, in which she led Scottish public sector caterers through the pandemic. Over her time in the role, Jones contributed to Scottish government guidance and ensured school meals services continued to be delivered to children and vulnerable households in difficult circumstances.
Alongside the Scottish government and COSLA (local government in Scotland), Jones led the implementation of universal free meals in Scotland, now delivered to all children in the first five years of school, and universal free meals to all children in early years' settings across Scotland. Not one to be confined to national borders, Jones has also contributed a huge amount of value to the global conversation around school food. She was part of a team that published the Scottish school meals case study on the Global School Meals Consortium and worked with colleagues to publish the first ever Scottish School Meals recipe book; an essential guide for all 2,500 schools across Scotland.
Jones has influenced a wide range of national policy, including the Good Food Nation Act, and has championed the review of the Scottish government's sustainable food procurement guidance. She has been a driving force behind an approach to public sector food in Scotland, where it is seen as a lever for social change and an investment in people, rather than cost.
In the local government arena, Jones has led numerous transformational projects, including developing a meal delivery system using drone technology. A successful pilot flight saw school meals delivered from Oban Airport to Lochnell Primary School and planning permission has now been granted and funding secured to establish a permanent Oban Drone Facility to enable commercial deliveries in the area. Local council has awarded £250,000 from the Regulator's Pioneer Fund for the development of the UAV logistics hub, based at Oban Airport, to serve the islands, building on the pilot approach.
The fresh approach to school meals delivery enabled vehicles to come off roads, reduced food miles every week and freed up space on ferries – which are often at capacity – allowing more room for passengers.
Described by one of our judges as an "inspirational public sector caterer and leader", Jones' work has been pivotal in the development of a national local food strategy as well as influencing a global one.
What the judges said
"Jayne is an exceptional leader, purpose-driven and intentional in driving improvement in service experience." Mark Davies
"The work that Jayne has undertaken is simply immense. Her innovation, sector-wide reach and sheer passion for the public sector is breathtaking." Matthew White
The shortlist
- Jayne Jones, Argyll and Bute Council
- Thomas Pass, Culinera
- Paul Robottom, Signature Dining
The judges
- Sue Cawthray, National Association of Care Catering
- Mark Davies, ISS
- Michael Hales, Juniper Ventures
- Vic Laws, AVL Consultancy
- Alison McCree, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
- Neel Radia, National Association of Care Catering
- Alison Shedlock, University of Manchester
- Matthew White, University of Reading
