Turning the Tables: Transforming School Food

The government Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has set new standards for school meals as the outcome of an expert panel report.

A number of recommendations have been made:

• To deliver change in the food and drink served at lunchtime and throughout the school day, break times, breakfast clubs and after school clubs
• Ensure that all schools achieve the Healthy Schools Standard
• That a Whole School Approach is taken to bring the classroom, school activities and school meals together in to one food policy and introduce practical food skills for children as part of the National Curriculum
• To increase the number of pupils taking a school meal
• To monitor the standards of meals through school Ofsted inspections

The Timetable

Interim food based standards came in to effect from September 2006 for Primary, Special and Secondary Schools.
These consist of the type and frequency of:

Fruit and vegetables
Meat, fish and non-dairy protein
Manufactured meat products
Starchy foods
Deep fried foods
Milk and dairy produce
Drinks
Drinking water

In the Spring of 2007 the School Food Trust issued revised guidance; the Government’s new-food based standards for school lunches. In addition to this new food based standards for all food other than lunchtime are to come into force in September 2007, which will determine the food allowed at breakfast and breaktime, to reflect healthier choices throughout the day.

Effective from September 2008, revised food based and nutrient based standards for all Primary and Special Schools, and September 2009 for Secondary Schools.

This means that all meals offered to children have to meet 14 nutrient standards. They are based on the revised Caroline Walker Trust Standards for daily nutritional intake. All school meals will need to be nutritionally analysed to ensure that menus are meeting these very challenging standards. 

The full report and recommendations can be seen on the DfES and School Food Trust websites. 


How CCS is responding

Menus have been planned to meet the new food based standards, and are well on the way to achieving the nutrient standards for 2008. We are already analysing our menus and confident that we will meet the standard well ahead of the timetable.

We are hoping that children will like these menus, and that parents will be able to see that they offer exceptional value.

CCS staff already receive training in craft skills, nutritional awareness, and food safety. We are now adding to that training to ensure that we more than meet the new requirements.

We shall be closely working with schools to ensure that the catering service is linked to the school classroom activity will enable pupils to be involved in the developments, and learn more about the food they eat, and have confidence in the menus provided.

Our food procurement encompasses the need for more locally sourced products of high quality.

We will be keeping parents informed regularly of service developments, ensuring that information is readily available