Published on:
08
August 2005
School lunches in Clackmannanshire are changing for the better with a delicious new menu for pupils to test their tiny taste buds on.
Over £1 million has been spent on creating a new kitchen in Sauchie and when local children go to school on Tuesday 16th August they will be able to sample school lunches produced centrally by a cook freeze system at Class Cuisine.
Some children returning to primary school after the summer break will probably notice little difference in the dining hall, with their lunch being served on the same crockery by the same dinner ladies. While others, in schools which did not have a production kitchen, will notice a massive improvement to the taste and quality of the food they eat at lunchtime.
But either way parents can be reassured that their children are eating a delicious and nutritionally balanced home made meal created using fresh ingredients with the emphasis on healthy eating.
Healthy meals, from spaghetti bolognaise and beef curry, to lemon chicken and Spanish meat balls, are cooked at the new kitchen in a traditional way using fresh ingredients.
The batch is then rapidly cooled and frozen, locking-in nutrients and preserving vitamin content. The frozen meals are then transported to each school in their large trays. Then each morning the batches are heated to a high temperature in special ovens before being served in the traditional way. Salads and fruit will still be freshly prepared in every school.
A wider variety of salads, baked potatoes with different fillings and tasty options such as prawn marie rose pasta salad and ratatouille with crusty bread are some of the new items on the menu.
The new menu also boasts a wider selection to choose from and a vegetarian option is always available. The options also change according to the season, and within each seasonal menu a four-week cycle operates.
Councillor Brian Fearon, Convener of the Learning and Leisure Committee, said: "Clackmannanshire has been at the forefront of healthy eating in schools for a while now, and the opening of Class Cuisine in Sauchie is another tremendous step forward in the quality of meals available in our schools.
"We all know how important it is for children and young people to eat a well-balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables and they now have an even better choice of meals, with old favourites such as macaroni cheese combined with new options such as tortilla wraps and pitta breads with a variety of tasty fillings.
"Although we have always prided ourselves on the quality of food available in our primary schools, we have now pushed the levels even further, with more salads, fish and soup on offer. Processed foods have been almost entirely banished from the menu and even the tasty puddings such as muffins and cheesecake are homemade at Sauchie."
A school meal consists of two courses - either a starter, such as soup, and a main course or a main course and a pudding, such as a yoghurt or fresh fruit.
All the menus have been analysed and each lunch is guaranteed to contain a healthy balance of nutrients and be low in fat, sugar and salt, meeting nutritional guidelines set down by the Scottish Executive.
Research shows that children who eat well at lunchtime are likely to perform better in class. A selection of fresh crusty bread and water is available every day and is included with the meal. All primary school children have access to a salad bar with fresh tomatoes, coleslaw, cucumber and rice and pasta salads available.
As part of the Council's ongoing commitment to promoting healthy options in school dining halls, Ariane Hitthaller was employed this summer as the Hungry for Success Support Officer. She will be working with pupils, parents, school staff and catering services staff to develop new recipes and menus as well as promoting healthy eating in schools.
Catering Manager Bruce Geary said: "When the system was first mooted, there was concern from parents and teachers that pupils would be receiving meals reminiscent of airline food. This is not the case - food will be served from multi-portion dishes in much the same way as it has always been. The system is also extremely good in terms of food safety, portion and cost control. Efficient management of the production system means more funding can go into the food.
"The system has been tried and tested over the summer break and our catering staff are now ready up to meet the new challenge. Dinner ladies have received customer care and service training as well as being fully trained on the new system.
"Of course, the food served is only as good as the recipes used and the ingredients that go into them. The Council constantly reviews raw ingredients and recipes, and where possible, we try to source produce locally.
"We have implemented the Nutrient Standards for school lunches set by the Scottish Executive in primary and special schools since August 2004 and we are now working towards their implementation in secondary schools, which we committed to achieving by December 2006."
Parents have a huge influence over what their children eat, and to help them be fully informed, the Council has published a leaflet explaining the new menu to all parents of primary school pupils.
In Clackmannanshire around 4000 children attend 19 primary schools. The Council is convinced that the new menu will increase uptake of school meals.
Note to Editor
The Nutrient Standards for School Lunches are very comprehensive and cover all food groups. For example, the Standards say that::
chips and other processed potato products should only be served a maximum of twice per week