The school meals service uses Red Tractor meat, sustainably caught fish, locally sourced fruit & vegetables where possible, free range eggs and nutritionally balanced meals.
North Yorkshire Council are boosting a series of initiatives designed to increase up-take, including:
- Giving children the chance to try new foods before they are served.
- Street food options to attract older students.
- Menus designed with children in mind through feedback and consultation with school cooks.
- Exciting promotion days for children (for example Chinese New Year, Beside the Seaside, Globe Trotters’ Menu & World Book Day etc).
Stuart Carlton, North Yorkshire director of the children and young people’s service, said: “We have a good uptake of free school meals in North Yorkshire among families who are eligible. However, we believe every child should benefit from a healthy meal in school. More and more families need this support and we must ensure every child who is eligible for a free school meal gets one.
“We are proud of the healthy, fresh meals we serve up in North Yorkshire’s schools each day and we want more children and young people to enjoy them. With the pressure on family budgets set to increase significantly, we are determined to make sure that everyone entitled to a free school meals given one. We all know that children learn best on a full tummy and that good nutrition is critical for their physical and educational development.
“When education has been so disrupted, as during the Covid pandemic, a fresh, nutritious school meal is a healthy way for children to settle down in the school day and enjoy their food together rather than just snacking. We just want to ensure all our children are able to get the best out of teaching and learning and part of that is having access to good nutrition every day.”