Northumberland leads conference to meet school meals challenge

The conference, entitled 'Food in schools - meeting the challenge' will be held at St James' Park, Newcastle, on 2nd September 2009. As well as Prue Leith, who will speak as chair of the School Food Trust, there will be presentations by Rudy Imhoof, head of facilities management at Northumberland County Council; Barbara Pattinson, North Tyneside Council and Helen McAllister, Gateshead Council. Jim Hopper from the School Food Trust will also speak and there will be group sessions and discussions about best practice. The conference links well with Northumberland County Council's 'Fuel to Go' scheme, which was developed by schools' catering managers and Mark Earnden of Expo Chef. The scheme, which will also launch in September, has seen a host of nutritious dishes devised for menus in middle and high school canteens throughout the county, giving youngsters a variety of healthy options to choose from. Speaking about the 'Food in schools' conference, councillor Lesley Rickerby, executive member for children's services, said: "Delivering healthy meals at a reasonable price and catering to the tastes of pupils in our schools is a top priority for Northumberland County Council. "We're pleased to have the opportunity to organise this conference and work with Gateshead and North Tyneside Councils to invite food and school meals' experts to discuss all aspects concerning the provision of quality lunches to pupils."