Food for Life Served Here certified meals are freshly prepared by trained chefs. All ingredients are free from additives, artificial trans fats and GM ingredients.
The meat served can be traced back to the farm and meets or exceeds UK animal welfare standards. The eggs are free range, fish is sustainable and menus make most of seasonal ingredients. All of which reduces the environmental impact of menus.
Bury Catering provide 10,000 healthy and sustainable meals every school day and employ over 250 local staff across 55 primary, secondary and special schools.
They have special menus for diabetics as well as those who follow a gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian or vegan diet. The service is completely nut free. They also satisfy the multi-cultural requirements of each school.
Andrew Cowan, senior operations manager for catering, said: “This past year we have been working hard behind the scenes on procuring sustainable, ethical and local ingredients and we’re delighted to be awarded Food for Life silver and The Green Kitchen Award from the Soil Association.
“These prestigious certifications from the UK’s leading food and farming charity recognise Bury Council’s dedication to providing school meals that are not only delicious, but are good for our children’s health, nature and the climate and ensuring kitchen practice minimises water, energy and waste.
“Bury Council are only the second council in the UK to achieve Green Kitchen Standard for all our schools and we are proud of this achievement and our work to minimise our impact on the climate.”
The Food for Life Award recognises and celebrates caterers who use sustainable ingredients, champion good practice and cook from scratch.
Caron Longden, head of business development at Food for Life, added: “Food for Life Served Here caterers are leading the way in demonstrating how they are improving the food they serve. Making good food the norm is key to tackling the interrelated crises of climate, nature and health. Achieving Food for Life Served Here certification is a fantastic accomplishment and a true reflection of a caterers’ commitment to serving healthy and sustainable meals.”