MacLean’s Bakery has become one of four companies and the only bakery to be included in a Scotland-wide scheme to provide food for council projects.

The Community Meals framework is organised by Scotland Excel and allows selected companies to bid to provide nutritionally balanced and affordable hot or frozen meals for local authority projects, such as Meals on Wheels and lunch clubs.

Scotland Excel procures goods and services for local authorities across Scotland and helps councils cut down on costs and inefficiency by allowing separate authorities to work together, placing contracts as a group rather than individually.

By being accepted into the programme, Benbecula-based MacLean’s will now be able to bid for contracts with the 19 councils signed onto the Community Meals scheme. It has not secured any contracts as yet.

Julie Welsh, director of Scotland Excel, said: “MacLean’s successful bid to supply to our community meals framework is further proof that company size and location shouldn’t be barriers to participating in national contracts.”