School meals – best choice all round

The new school year is approaching and Bury School Catering Service has been out and about promoting the benefits of school meals to parents and pupils alike. 

The service provides 14,000 healthy and nutritional meals to more than 70 schools across the borough at a cost of just £1.95 per meal at primary schools and £2.05 at secondary schools. 

Councillor Gill Campbell, cabinet member for children and families, said: “School meals offer good value. They also offer parents a convenient way to encourage their children to try new foods, increase the variety of foods in their diet and influence their long-term eating habits. 

“Many studies show that school meals are almost always healthier than packed lunches and while it is possible to make up a nutritionally-balanced packed lunch this does take considerable effort and can cost much more than a school meal. I’m sure any parent knows only too well how precious those extra minutes in the morning can be.

“As well as providing great tasty meals at a low cost, our catering service has been improving how meals are paid for too. Now parents can pay over the internet or by phone which means there’s no cash to find, no cheques to write, and the service is available 24/7.”

During the first school term, all new reception children at Bury schools are given the chance to try school meals free for one week. Throughout the year, many schools hold regular theme days which complement the curriculum and help make eating a healthy meal enjoyable and fun.

All school meals are required to meet strict standards, and they must be free from artificial colourings, preservatives and flavourings as well as be low in salt. Chips are not on the menu more than once a week and only eggs that are free range are used. Fresh fruit, vegetables and meat are all sourced locally where possible.

During the first term alone, catering staff will cook their way through 60,000kg of potatoes, 25,000kg of chicken, prepare 16,000kg of salad and serve 110,000 portions of fresh fruit.

For more information about school catering in Bury visit www.bury.gov.uk/schoolcatering or phone 0161 253 5710.

ENDS

Press release issued: 29 August 2013.

Picture attached: Taking the school meals message to Mill Gate customers are (from left) Christine Rothwell (area manager), Helen Jessop (supervisor at Cams Lane Primary School), and Sue Nichols (area manager).