Highland Council has issued reassurance on the provenance of ingredients in its school meals following recent national media reports this week that stated children in the area pay most for school meals.
Primary school pupils in the region are charged £2.30 a day for lunch – making it the most expensive – whereas those in South Lanarkshire – the cheapest area – face a daily bill of just £1.60.
The Scottish average is £2 per day – the amount charged by neighbouring Argyll and Bute. Moray charges £2.20. The figures were revealed in a Freedom of Information request.
Cllr Drew Millar, Chair of the Council's Education, Children and Adult Services Committee said, 'Our catering service is proud to provide good value meals using quality ingredients carefully sourced.
'Quality ingredients are carefully sourced for Highland school meals including local supplies of beef, lamb, venison, free range eggs, and organic carrots. All beef, lamb and pork sourced from Munro the butcher are all Quality Meat Scotland products as well as being local.
'Seasonal local fresh fruit and vegetables are supplied as much as possible from Swansons Fruit Company, Inverness.'
Highland Council currently serves around 18,000 lunches per day in 173 primary and 29 secondary schools.
Menus are updated every 6 months and the Council consult with pupils and staff to improve the food choices and recipes. The menus offer a choice of freshly cooked, nutritionally balanced meals and include favourites such as macaroni cheese, fish and chips, chicken korma and healthy home baking.
Seasonal meals are offered where over 75% of the menu is freshly prepared with ingredients that are GM free, with no undesirable E numbers or hydrogenated fats.
All food and drinks served meet the requirements of the Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007 and all Highland primary schools have been awarded the bronze Food for Life Catering Mark from the Soil Association with five schools awarded the Silver mark.
