New Food Standards will ensure healthier options for school pupils

Letters will be shared with parents and carers in Orkney this week detailing how Orkney Islands Council is working to deliver on the new national Food Standards to ensure all food and drink offered within the school day is as healthy as possible.

The new standards, which come into force on 8 April, require increased access to fruit and vegetables; a reduction in the amount of sugar in products used and bringing the use of red and red processed meat in line with Scottish Dietary Goals.

Orkney Islands Council Chair of the Education, Leisure and Housing committee, Councillor Gwenda Shearer, said: “We all have a part to play in shaping the choices of children and young people from government and schools to parents, industry, community and producers.

“My hope is that by us all working together, we can ensure our children and young people develop the skills, knowledge and experience they need to make positive dietary choices and lead long, healthy lives.”

OIC Catering Manager, Scott Pring, explained that the pupils will not see any noticeable difference with regard to the regularity and amount of red meat options on the menu – as the standards have been met for some time in Orkney.

Mr Pring said: “We serve up around 2,500 meals per day across all Orkney schools and have a higher uptake than the Scottish average – our schoolchildren want to eat the food that is served up. We are very lucky with the fantastic local produce we have here in Orkney, and we use as much as possible within our menus serving. Our catering teams are extremely creative and come up with some very tasty and nutritious meals – which the children and young people want to eat, and this is borne out by a higher uptake rate than the national average.

“The local authority is committed to providing the healthiest food to our children and young people. This commitment is underpinned by a duty to provide school meals and snacks that meet strict nutritional requirements, including encouraging the use of fresh, local and sustainable produce, which we do whenever possible.

“But we cannot do this alone – we need the support of parents and carers to ensure a community-wide approach. Our children are our future and giving them the best start in life, instilling good food habits at the earliest opportunity is vital. Let’s work together to make this happen.”

Mr Pring explained that the changes within primary schools will be very subtle with no need for a new menu.

“We have made small tweaks to the existing recipes to incorporate the changes whilst sticking to using seasonal and local produce wherever possible. With regard to red meat the allowance for children in primary schools is 190g, of which no more than 100g can be processed. Other changes include serving only lower fat milk and water.

“There will be a reduction in sugar baked products such as cakes and puddings, which must meet certain standards as must yoghurts. At least two portions of vegetables and one portion of fruit must be offered or included within the meal and chips cannot be served on their own.”

Much of this is mirrored within secondary schools, however there will be more obvious changes, particularly when it comes to snack and drink choices.

“The variety of snacks will be reduced with only certain types of crisps allowed. With regard to red meat, the allowances for secondary schools is 270g of red meat – within that no more than 130g can be processed red meat.

“We do not use a lot of processed meat in any case but these new standards have led us to even closer working relationships with one of our local suppliers. In particular is the work we are doing with our contracted local meat provider, Ali Flett at Williamsons, to trial new products such as locally made turkey ham and turkey bacon as well as chicken sausages and producing a good non-processed ham.

“Our focus within secondary schools is on a new approach of creating two popular choices of the day, which need to be advertised and form a full compliant two course meal which is to be sold at the same cost of a free school meal. Again, the allowances will see little difference in what is actually served up on our main meals menus as the changes were introduced some time ago.

The standards are nutritional requirements for food and drink contained within national regulations for 2020/2021 and will also affect breakfast and after school club provision as well as any mid-morning breaks and apply to the Papdale Halls of Residence.

The Council’s Head of IT and Facilities, Hayley Green, said Orkney’s School Meals Service is already demonstrating an exceptional level of service.

“The Service has already demonstrated significant achievement through the Soil Association Scotland Food for Life Served Here Bronze Award, which was achieved during the pandemic.

“We have a strong history of cooking from scratch in our schools and a commitment to sourcing as much of the produce as we can locally, serving up meals using fresh ingredients, which are free from genetically modified ingredients and undesirable additives.

“The health and wellbeing of all our children and young people is of paramount importance and from the earliest outset we try to ensure they are given the facts and information on the value of making positive food and drink choices.

“It is equally important that we back this up through the provision of balanced and nutritious food and drink as part of the school day. We are required to meet the latest standards which are aligned more closely to Scottish Dietary Goals and centred around four key themes to make school meals even healthier.”

The new standards will increase the offer of fruit and vegetables, ensuring that children and young people can access their ‘five-a-day’ at school; reduce the amount of sugar that can be accessed in school; and bring provision of red and red processed meat in line with the Scottish Dietary Goals.

Hayley added: “We do appreciate that any changes can be unsettling for children, parents and our food providers. We will be keeping people informed all the way along and are happy to explain what is happening, and why, and we’re always very happy to get feedback at any time.”

Brian Kynoch, parent to two secondary-aged pupils in Kirkwall, said: “The introduction of the new national Food Standards for Schools is to be welcomed and combined with the wide variety of local quality produce available will ensure our children get the most nutritious and healthy food available. The Schools Catering teams have an excellent reputation for using local products where possible.”

Alison Reid, from Tankerness, is a parent of two primary school aged boys and has welcomed the move to further enhance the healthy eating ethos.

She said: “As a parent of fussy eaters, I support opportunities to promote and develop positive dietary habits and choices for my children. It is reassuring to know that when your children are at school, they are being provided with a nutritious and balanced meal and snacks, especially as food plays a significant part in a child’s growth and development.

“I struggle to get my youngest to eat fruit and vegetables, so I welcome an approach and the availability of meals, where a child is encouraged to make healthy choices from a young age.”