Children in Tower Hamlets to benefit from healthier school dinners

Primary, nursery and special schools in Tower Hamlets are now serving meals that are over 75% freshly prepared, free from undesirable e-numbers, trans fats and additives like aspartame, tartrazine and MSG. All meat and dairy products are from farms which satisfy UK welfare standards; eggs come from free range hens; only responsibly-sourced MSC fish is served; and all fresh salad, vegetables, and fruit are seasonal. The borough catering team managed to achieve all of this, without increasing their budget, by switching suppliers and being part of a London-wide buying group. Parents and carers of children who do not take up their entitlement of a free school meal will be encouraged to do so by the Tower Hamlets catering team in the coming weeks with support from a School Food Trust project. Free school meals could save families up to £380 per year per child. Contract Services work hard to provide healthy and nutritious school lunches to Tower Hamlets' schools every day. Michael Hales, head of contract services, said: "I am absolutely delighted. This is a great achievement for everyone involved and illustrates the commitment and hard work of all the catering staff across the borough and the partnerships they have with the schools themselves. "Our catering service is always looking for ways to improve its standards of nutrition and provision as part of our ongoing commitment to improve the life opportunities and health of everyone in Tower Hamlets." Rob Sexton, chief executive of Soil Association Certification, added: "This is a really proud moment in the history of the Catering Mark knowing that thousands of children in Tower Hamlets will benefit from healthier school meals. "The Soil Association believes that access to good food should be a right not a privilege and we are committed to making organic, seasonal, healthy food accessible to everyone."