lunch! 2014

lunch! is the UK’s multi-award-winning trade show for the food-to-go sector. Returning to the Business Design Centre, London on 23-24 September, lunch! 2014 will feature over 280 exhibitors showcasing thousands of innovative food, drink, packaging and equipment products.

Having won 3 prestigious ‘Best Trade Show’ awards in the last 4 years, lunch! is a firm industry favourite. Just one visit will give you the ideas, inspiration and products to expand your offering and delight your customers every day.

lunch! is free to attend for all hospitality trade professionals. For more information and to register for your free trade ticket visit www.lunchshow.co.uk.

Opportunity to Chair Catering Mark Standards Committee

The Food for Life Catering Mark recognises best practice in the food service industry. The bronze, silver and gold standards encourage and reward the use of fresh, healthy, local and organic food. More than 900,000 accredited meals are served every week day in schools, hospitals, universities, care homes, children’s nurseries and many other settings. More...

All Wales Framework Task Group

The Chair of the All Wales Framework Task Group, Judith John, explains where they are up to and that they are currently entering Phase 3 of the work plan. More…

Download the latest updates to the DH Premises Assurance Model (PAM) document

This includes updated metrics and new expanded Self-Assessment Questions. Click here

Catering guidance that offers practical advice on how to make catering affordable, healthier and more sustainable

May I introduce the 14:14 campaign on behalf of Barts Health NHS Trust and The Hospital Caterers Association. The campaign aims to encourage NHS Trusts across England to provide 14 square metres of land by 2014 in which fresh produce can be grown and developed. More…

Catering guidance that offers practical advice on how to make catering affordable, healthier and more sustainable

Public Health England, have issued the following guidance for caterers, which as your chair, I would highly recommend it is not only read, but also utilised. More…

HOSPITAL FOOD STANDARDS BILL - UPDATE

The Bill will have its second reading on 8th November 2013. More…

Celebrity Chef Rosemary Shrager will headline the National Association of Care Catering Training & Development Forum 2014

The National Association of Care Catering (NACC) Training & Development Forum 2014 – the only dedicated learning event for care caterers in the UK – will educate, motivate and inspire delegates from the care catering sector from 1-3 October 2014. More...

Chairman’s Blog

HCA National Chair, Andy Jones, gets the word out on the latest developments, initiatives and thinking in hospital catering, service and delivery. More...

How red meat fits in your Menu and improves diet quality

Click here for the latest details of how red meat fits in your Menu and improves diet quality.

Nutrition and Hyration Week 2015
16-22 March 2015

Click here to view the latest Newsletter and Activity Planner for 2015 Nutrition and Hydration Week 2015.

18-20 November 2014 at ExCeL, London

Food Matters Live is a new annual event exploring one of the most important challenges of our time: the relationship between food, health and nutrition. More…

HCA launch new Guide to Crohn’s Disease including Menu Ideas in partnership with ForCrohns

Download a copy of the guide

HCA Support WRAP

The HCA are pleased to announce that they have recently signed up to support WRAP and the key principles to WRAP's HaFSA. The full details of what WRAP is about can be found by clicking on the following link, www.wrap.org.uk. More…

PLACE update

Following on from the request for feedback on your recent PLACE experiences, we collated them all and submitted them to the Department of Health whom at this point still have responsibility for PLACE. – NOTE – NHS England will take the responsibility of PLACE from this point. More…

Special Discounted Subscription offer for HCA Members

More…

HCA Training and Development Bursary 2013

For further information and to download an application form please visit the Welcome page in the Members Login.

HCA Media Statement re: DEFRA Plan for Public Procurement: Food and Catering Services

Central Government will commit to buying locally-sourced food through a new food and drink buying standard, which will aim to cut waste, according to newly-appointed Environment Secretary Liz Truss. More…

New Allergen Toolkit for Healthcare Catering Launched

The Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) and The Association of UK Dietitians (BDA), through its Food Counts! specialist group, have worked together to produce and launch a new toolkit that addresses food allergies/intolerances within healthcare catering settings. More…

HCA Letter to The Editor of The Caterer and Hotelkeeper, in response to 'No to Malnutrition Britain' – Neel Radia, Chair National Association Care Caterers' feature

The Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) totally supports the view expressed by Neel Radia, Chair of the National Association of Care Caterers. More…

HCA response to NHS Confederation's warning that patients 'could be forced to pay bed and board' without investment and reforms

NHS patients could be forced to pay for their bed and board in hospital within five years unless there is a cash injection into health services after the next election, according to NHS Confederation’s chief executive, Rob Webster. More…

forCrohns charity & Hospital Caterers’ Association launch dietary guidance and menu ideas to improve hospital food for Crohn’s patients to mark World IBD Day

London 19th May 2014: To coincide with World Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Day on 19th May, the charity “forCrohns”, in conjunction with the Hospital Caterer’s Association (HCA), is proud to announce a new initiative that will lead to a revolution in the provision of better quality and more suitable food for Crohn’s Disease patients whilst in hospital. More…

CESA honours HCA Chair with order of merit

Andy Jones, National Chairman of the Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) has been awarded a Foodservice Order of Merit Award from the Catering Equipment Suppliers Association (CESA). More…

HCA response to new evaluation of significant nutritional differences between organic and non-organic food

In the largest study of its kind, an international team of experts led by Newcastle University, UK has proved that organic crops and crop-based foods are up to 60 per cent higher in a number of key antioxidants than conventionally-grown crops. More…

Bad hospital food is not just a problem for patients – it affects NHS staff too

The Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) supports the views posted on the Guardian's Healthcare Professional Network by Dr Na'eem Ahmed, clinical fellow to Prof Sir Bruce Keogh at NHS England, on how, as the purveyor of health and wellbeing, the NHS does not do well at promoting a healthy diet and lifestyle among its staff. More…

The Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) lends support to the Scottish Good Food Challenge

Andy Jones, National Chairman of the Hospital Caterers Association (HCA) endorses the Scottish Good Food Challenge competition which allows hospital catering teams across Scotland to show showcase their skills and passion. More…

London Hospital Chefs take Silver & Best In Class at Salon Culinaire 2014

Two chefs from The London Clinic have taken Silver Best in Class, the top Award in the Hospital Chefs Team Class of the UK’s largest internationally respected cookery competition, the 2014 Le Salon Culinaire International de Londres on Thursday 1 May. More…

Foodservice Industry is Greener According to Respondents of The Gram Green Paper

After a two-year wait, The Stage, quite literally was set at Hotelympia on Tuesday 29th May for the launch of the fourth Green Paper, commissioned by energy efficient refrigeration supplier, Gram. More…