School meals in 57 primary and nursery schools around Tower Hamlets awarded silver for being healthy and sustainable. Contract Catering Services, the council’s school meals provider has achieved a Silver Food for Life Served Here award from the Soil Association. This is the third year in a row the schools have received this award.
Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets Council, said: ‘Providing our children with the best start in life is our priority. Nutritious meals are essential for the fuel children need to learn and develop.’
To receive the award, at least five per cent of ingredients need to be organic. On top of this, the ingredients need to be sourced sustainably, ethically and locally from reputable suppliers. Silver awards acknowledge caterers that go beyond meeting the School Food Standards. This involves ensuring that children are served meals that are tasty, healthy and nature/climate kind.
Over 87 per cent of meals are freshly prepared. The meals include popular homemade dishes like vegetable moussaka, chicken pie, and cauliflower, spinach and chickpea curry.
Studies show that almost four million children in the UK are too poor to have a healthy diet, so it is increasingly vital that children are eating healthy meals at school.