Kitchens in ten schools were ‘transformed’, with many receiving larger capacity combination ovens, new serving areas, dishwashers, fridges and freezers.
School menus have been revised to accommodate a daily vegetarian choice and an 'in house' dietitian provides special menus for over 200 pupils with dietary requirements.
Torfaen Council Executive Member for Children, Families and Education, Councillor Richard Clark, said: “As a result of the works, a vast number of meals can now be prepared at speed, in light of the increased universal free school meal take-up.
“It’s great to hear that more than 40 local people have also been employed in additional catering service roles in the schools. The continuous improvement to the menus also considers the pupil voice and our catering teams are currently working on a project with Nesta and three pilot schools to improve the uptake of school lunches.”