Book a Consultation

In-House School Catering Management Software – Litmus Edge (Draft Page)

In-house school catering management software for schools and MATs, helping teams reduce admin, manage compliance, control costs and improve menu planning.

What is Litmus Edge and how does it provide one platform for school catering?

Litmus Edge is in-house school catering management software that helps schools and multi-academy trusts manage menus, allergens, compliance, suppliers, ordering, stock control, and reporting on a single platform.

Designed specifically for education catering teams, it reduces administration, improves visibility and supports safe, cost-effective food services across single-site schools and complex multi-site operations.

It brings together procurement, menu planning, allergen management, School Food Standards compliance, ordering, stock control, invoicing, and reporting in a single system. This gives catering teams the tools they need to run safe, efficient and cost-effective food services every day.

With Litmus Edge, in-house catering becomes easier to manage, measure, and improve.

Speak to a litmus edge specialist

How does Litmus Edge simplify in-house school catering?

Delivering healthy, popular food in a compliant, safe and financially sustainable way is a complex task. Litmus Edge makes in-house school catering easier to manage by connecting the key parts of the operation into a single integrated platform.

Schools using Litmus Edge benefit from:

  • Access to a more cost-effective catering service
  • Automated support for food safety, allergen management and compliance
  • Menu planning tools with 4,000+ recipes linked to nutritional and allergen data
  • Efficient ordering, stock control and invoicing
  • Real-time reporting dashboards for total visibility

Litmus Edge removes the need for multiple systems and manual processes, saving time and reducing cost so catering teams can focus on great food, strong compliance, allergen safety and a better dining experience.

Find out why catering managers love Litmus Edge

How does Litmus Edge improve your school catering service?

Litmus Edge gives schools and MATs access to a specialist education supply chain, helping catering teams manage suppliers, pricing and purchasing more effectively.

Through Litmus Edge, you can benefit from:

  • Expertly negotiated prices on core ingredients and supplies
  • Real-time benchmarking to track pricing and performance
  • Automated price file maintenance to improve accuracy
  • Supplier due diligence and greater transparency
  • Streamlined ordering and consolidated invoicing

Every part of your catering operation affects your costs. By reducing food waste, improving purchasing decisions, streamlining administration and giving you better control of stock and recipes, Litmus Edge can help reduce overall catering costs by up to 20%, giving schools more budget to invest in high quality meals.

Learn more about how Litmus Edge catering software can help your school

Supporting Compliance & Kitchens

Litmus Edge makes in-house operations more effective.

How does Litmus Edge support food safety, allergens and compliance?

Litmus Edge integrates food safety, allergen management, and compliance into a single system, helping schools reduce manual processes, manage risk, and maintain clear records.

Features include:

  • School Food Standards-compliant menu management
  • Over 4,000 supplier-linked recipes with live allergen and nutritional data
  • PPDS labelling support for pre-packed items
  • EHO-ready food safety management
  • HACCP documentation and reporting

By bringing compliance tasks into one platform, Litmus Edge helps catering teams spend less time on administration and more time producing safe, healthy meals.

How does Litmus Edge help kitchen teams save time?

Designed around the day-to-day needs of busy kitchen managers, Litmus Edge supports the practical demands of running a modern school catering operation.

Key features include:

  • Simple, intuitive system operation
  • Real-time, end-to-end dashboard reporting
  • Team, task and diary management
  • Single-point ordering and consolidated invoicing
  • Stock control and waste recording
  • School and parent messaging tools
  • Litmus Edge auto-links allergens from supplier to menu

On average, Litmus Edge saves catering teams around 15 hours of administration per month, freeing staff to focus on food quality, service improvement and pupil engagement.

Hear from our Clients and Consultants

  • Craig Bland started working with SHINE Academies in January 2024 to manage a tender for our catering services across the Trust. From the outset, Craig took the time to understand our organisation, our priorities, and what we needed from a catering partner. His involvement, detailed knowledge and expertise made what could have been a complex process for us, straightforward and stress-free.

    Gemma Draycott, CEO, SHINE Academies

  • The advice and support we received from Litmus during our procurement project was insightful and helped inform our final decision significantly. Their knowledge of the procurement world and experience of the HE sector steered us successfully to the correct decision for St Mary’s University.

    Nikhil Santos - Catering & Bar Services Manager, St Mary’s University Twickenham London

  • Litmus has provided a tool which enables us to track our position against market pricing to ensure we achieve the best from our GPO. The data has enabled procurement to actively challenge the pricing positions against a real market benchmark and brings credibility to internal discussions.

    Maria Madrid Rodenas – VP Procurement EMEA RHG

  • Litmus managed every aspect of the tender process with professionalism and fairness. They took the time to understand our unique requirements as a Special School. Their contract process is thorough and reliable.

    Elaine at Wyre Forest School

  • Litmus’ expertise, attention to detail and market knowledge were invaluable in securing two favourable agreements that fit our complex environment. Both contracts delivered financial gains and improved accountability. Their follow-up monitoring ensures ongoing performance, and I would not hesitate to recommend Neil and the Litmus team.

    Paul Teasdale, Associate Director of Estates, Queen Alexandra College

  • Litmus impressed us with their professionalism, transparency and structured approach. Their thorough assessment ensured our chosen partner aligned with our Trust’s values, and the clear KPIs and financial markers now help us monitor performance with confidence.

    Pardeep Dhami, Head of Finance

  • With Litmus’ guidance, we’ve transformed our catering operations—modernising systems, streamlining processes and achieving significant cost savings. We now have greater control and insight, allowing us to focus on enhancing menu quality. A resounding and lasting success.

    Mike Naworynsky OBE, Director of Operations, Marlborough College

  • Consolidating our catering and cleaning providers has been transformative, creating a more efficient and consistent operation across all schools. Litmus’ expertise was invaluable throughout, and we’re pleased to continue working with them on contract monitoring.

    Lee Miller MBE, Deputy Chief Executive, TSAT

  • We’ve worked with Litmus since our Trust began in 2016, and they’ve become a trusted, invaluable part of our team. They understand the challenges Multi-Academy Trusts face and have transformed our operations for the better. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them.

    Tim Monelle, Director of Trust Services, Lighthouse Schools Partnership

Hear how Litmus Edge works

Litmus Edge is the smart catering management system designed specifically for schools — helping teams save time, reduce costs, stay compliant and deliver healthier, more efficient food services every day.

Why choose Litmus Edge Manager for in-house school catering?

Litmus Edge is built around more than 30 years of experience supporting education catering teams.

The platform combines Litmus’ expertise in procurement, compliance, kitchen management and operational performance with the practical tools schools need to manage in-house catering effectively. It is designed around the realities of school life, from daily kitchen administration and allergen control to supplier management, reporting and long-term cost control.

For schools and MATs, that means software backed by specialist catering knowledge, not a generic system adapted for education.

read more about the benefits of litmus edge

Insights and News

Stay informed with the latest industry insights, expert commentary and project updates from The Litmus Partnership team.

View All

Ready to speak to a Litmus Edge expert?

Led by Rachael Venditti, Registered Nutritionist

Rachael Venditti leads the development and delivery of Litmus Edge, working with schools and multi-academy trusts to improve catering compliance, operational efficiency, allergen management and supplier performance.

With more than 25 years’ experience across catering and foodservice, including education, care, healthcare, and business and industry, Rachael helps clients use Litmus Edge to reduce administration, strengthen reporting, support better nutrition and make in-house catering easier to manage.

Learn more about Rachael

Contact Us

We love to connect with business leaders that want to make a change. Contact our friendly team to request a no obligation chat about your current challenges and goals.

Questions that we are often asked

What is Litmus Edge? Litmus Edge is in-house school catering management software designed for schools and multi-academy trusts. It brings together menu planning, allergen management, School Food Standards compliance, ordering, stock control, supplier management, reporting and communication tools in one platform.

How much does Litmus Edge cost? The cost of Litmus Edge depends on the size and structure of your catering operation, including the number of schools, sites and users. Litmus can discuss your requirements and provide a tailored proposal based on the level of support and functionality you need.

Is Litmus Edge suitable for small schools? Yes. Litmus Edge can support both single-site schools and larger multi-academy trusts and education groups. For smaller schools, the platform can help reduce administration, improve menu planning, manage allergens and provide clearer visibility of catering performance.

Does Litmus Edge comply with the School Food Standards? Litmus Edge supports School Food Standards-compliant menu management by linking menus, recipes, nutritional information, and reporting within a single system. This helps schools plan compliant menus and maintain clearer records around food standards and service delivery.

How does Litmus Edge handle allergen management? Litmus Edge links directly to supplier allergen data through to recipes, menus and labelling. It helps catering teams manage allergen information, support PPDS labelling requirements and provide clearer information for pupils, parents and school staff.

Can Litmus Edge integrate with our MIS system? Litmus Edge can support integration with bMIS and payment providers, helping schools connect catering management with existing systems where appropriate. Integration requirements vary by school or trust, so Litmus will review your current systems and advise on the best approach.