Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme and the Scottish School Milk Scheme: data collection

Chapter 5: SMHSS Suppliers

As part of the data collection exercise we reached out to suppliers who were identified as providing goods under the SMHSS. A total of 11 suppliers contact details were provided to use, they were contacted to provide data in the same way that providers and local authorities were. The lack of contact details provided is likely to be a result of many settings sourcing their products from shops or their local authority managing this on their behalf.

Only two suppliers responded to the request for information by completing the form. We also received feedback from another supplier that providing standardised data on the SMHSS was difficult due to the wide variety of contractual arrangements that they had in place with those that they supplied goods for. This suggests that for many suppliers the form may have been challenging to complete due to their varying contractual arrangements with the providers and local authorities that they supply products on behalf of.

Future data collections should consider whether supplier data is essential and if so what information suppliers should store as standard to align with the scheme.