A KENT catering firm has become the country's fifth fastest-growing firm by waging war on junk food.

Cater Link, based in Lower Green Road, Pembury, was ranked number five in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100, a list of Britain's 100 fastest-growing companies sponsored by Virgin Atlantic, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Microsoft.

Tony McKenna, then a catering broker and consultant, founded the firm in the spare bedroom of his home in 1992.

It now employs 600 people, most of them part-time dinner ladies, preparing and serving more than 150,000 meals a week in schools, businesses, hospitals and industrial plants.

Clients include The Friars, Aylesford, St Edmunds School, Canterbury, Mid Kent College, Chatham, Rainham School for Girls, and the London School of Osteopathy in Maidstone.

Sales soared by 141 per cent last year to £5.7 million. And things have got even better since then, with turnover now up to £8.1m

Mr McKenna told the Kent Messenger that he was "absolutely thrilled" by the accolade.

He was looking forward to a party at Richard Branson's Oxfordshire mansion, one of the traditional prizes for firms in the Fast Track 100.

Most of the new business had come from "old-fashioned word of mouth”. The firm's unique approach was to "re-introduce fresh food menus and get away from fast food”.

Junk food was out, he said. It was important to encourage a healthy diet among students as worrying statistics raised fears about obesity among children.

The company has won a Heartbeat health award for its commitment to fresh food. The award was developed by the Health Education Authority (HEA) and the Department of Health and endorsed by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

Mr McKenna added: "Every site has a catering manager who plans their own menus according to the needs of the site.

"They order fresh product from various suppliers -- the butcher, greengrocer, grocer -- and prepare the food on site."

Innovation is another common feature of the Fast Track elite. Cater Link has devised a cashless system that encourages a healthy diet.

Students can pay for meals with Smart Cards, loaded with funds from cash, cheque or free school meal credit.

Mr McKenna said: "With a daily spend limit, students find ease of budgeting and the benefit of getting into good eating habits for life. There is also no distinction between free and paid meals, deflating peer pressure. For parents, the knowledge that dinner money is actually being spent on dinner can be priceless."

He summed up his business philosophy as "hands-on," adding: "Whether it's Michelin star restaurants or school dining rooms, success hinges on the smallest detail. I can only give attention to detail by visiting units and keeping a fresh perspective.”