New guidance to calculate healthiness of school meals

The guidance has been written for catering providers and staff who are responsible for menu planning, food purchasing, preparation and service of food in schools and staff recruitment and training. Local authority staff, head teachers and other staff involved in providing meals will also be interested. If gives a full explanation of the requirements, as well as advice for caterers to calculate the necessary vitamin, fat and sugar content of food. The advice includes tips on how to increase the intake of fruit and vegetables; cooking fruit and veg soon after cutting to preserve the vitamin content, and limiting the use of pickled vegetables such as beetroot because of their high salt content. It also recommends providing extra bread to pupils at no additional charge as a meal accompaniment; promoting wholegrain and wholemeal bread and putting a bread basket where children can help themselves. Adam Ingram, children's minister, explained: "We know that schools cannot change the eating habits of children alone and the Scottish Government is taking action on a number of fronts to improve the diet in Scotland. "But we need the help of all people involved in providing food in schools to work together with children, young people, parents and the communities of Scotland to improve the food we eat to achieve our aim of a healthier Scotland." Local authorities and schools were asked to adopt a whole-school approach to promoting the wellbeing of all pupils and staff and a framework for health promoting schools was laid out in the document, Being Well – Doing Well. The new legislation came into force in primary schools last month and will come into force in secondary schools from 1 August 2009. Weblink: www.scotland.gov.uk