The Government’s nutrient-based standards for school lunches, will come into force in primary schools by September 2008 and in secondary schools by September 2009.
But how are schools coping with introducing them?
According to the School Food Trust/LACA survey of Local Authorities published in May 2008
only 50% of the local authorities surveyed reported that primary school menus were compliant with nutrient-based standards. Fewer LAs (19%) reported that secondary school menus were compliant.
93 out of 133 responding LAs (70%) had purchased software to analyse school lunch provision against nutrient-based standards. A further 11 were in the process of, or planning to purchase software.
In my opinion there is no need to waste your money on expensive software to analyse your menus against nutrient-based standards. As busy school caterers, you don’t have time to be messing around with computers, and anyway, if you’re serving balanced meals that meet the food-based standards, it’s virtually certain that you are meeting the nutrient-based standards.
Remember – it’s the MENU CYLE not the individual dishes or meals that are important.
Register now to receive a copy of my full critique of the nutrient-based standards.
My report explains the assumptions and approximations which have to be made in deriving the actual Standards. Furthermore, it is inevitable that there will be significant errors in the estimations of the nutrient content of the food
Dr Verner Wheelock
