Two local councils have joined a national pilot project to ensure that nutritious, healthy meals are served in Lincoln-area schools, helping children grow and learn.
Lincolnshire County Council and the City of Lincoln Council will provide guidance on serving safe, balanced school meals that will encourage healthy eating habits and ensure that pupils have the energy and nutrition they need to get the most from their school day.
The councils are among 18 local authorities taking part in the School Food Standards compliance project, recently launched by the Food Standards Agency and Department for Education.
Cllr Mrs Patricia Bradwell OBE, executive member for children’s services at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “A healthy, balanced diet can help children make the most of their time at school. With increasing pressure on family food budgets, nutritious, enjoyable school meals have never been more important, particularly during the colder, winter months. Our food education team already provides a wide range of support to local schools to help pupils eat well, and this new pilot will further this work, giving Lincolnshire children the food they need to flourish.”
The pilot will find out if food safety officers can also raise instances of non-compliance with School Food Standards when carrying out regular hygiene inspections in schools. This will help inform the role that councils could play in ensuring the food served in schools delivers the best possible health outcomes for children.
Louise Harding, food, health and safety team leader at City of Lincoln Council, said: “We work closely with the food education team at Lincolnshire County Council to ensure that children are eating safe and nutritionally balanced food.”
Professor Susan Jebb, FSA Chair, said: “Schools play a crucial role in providing children with healthy food to help them concentrate and thrive in the classroom and beyond. We all want to ensure that the food served in schools meets the standards that have been set. This project will give insight into what’s happening in schools today and identify whether additional support is needed to help them to do the very best they can for children and drive positive change in the school food system.”