After a national campaign led by chef Jamie Oliver, government guidelines have been introduced to ensure primary and secondary school pupils are receiving nutritious meals. From September, menus now have provide children with a balanced diet combining protein, carbohydrates and vegetables. At the same time junk food, packed with sugar, salt and additives is out. In Shropshire the changes have had less effect on schools served by the County Council's Shire Services catering outfit, than many other schools across the country. Frustration among catering staff, parents and teachers led Shire Services to adopt a more healthy approach to school meals, years before Jamie Oliver put the issue back on the national menu. | "It's just a matter of people getting used to finding healthy alternatives to snacks and helping kids to switch" | | Janet Norton |
In 2004 Shire Services, who serve around 15,000 meals a day to nearly 200 county primary and secondary schools, implemented a strategy to cut the amount of fat, sugar and salt in dinners. They are also continuing to work with other organisations to provide locally-produced ingredients. However, it remains a difficult balance to keep costs down, while promoting healthy menus to children more familiar with fast food. Some parents have also been unhappy with the strict changes. But in a society suffering from one of the poorest obesity records on the planet, the benefits of a healthy diet are considerable. Although it is estimated that school dinners account for only 12% of a child's diet over a year, school dinners might be the only opportunity some children have to eat a healthy meal. Only five years ago, things were very different. Processed food, burgers and chips were the norm, with few vegetables on offer. Janet Norton, general manager of Shire Services explained: "There was not a lot of satisfaction in what we were producing." Compulsory Competitive Tendering drove prices (and food quality) down. CCT has since been replaced by a 'best value' model. Today Shropshire is considered a step ahead of the national average, in terms of both providing healthy meals and working with local suppliers. The government's pledge of £280m in March 2005 has been welcomed, earmarked to improve meals and training in school kitchens across the country. Yet, not everyone's happy with the changes to school dinners. Parents falling just outside of the Free School Meals scheme can face a severe financial burden, particularly if they have more than one child at school. Dinners cost parents £1.70 per child, with a council subsidy picking up the rest of the bill. Shire Services' meals are produced at a total cost of £2.10, including labour.
 | | School dinners |
It can also be tricky to persuade pupils to try new dishes. Many parents are concerned that their children are choosing not to eat, rather than trying new food on what can still be a very narrow menu. Some schools have adopted a tasting strategy, to allow pupils to try new foods in addition to a meal they might be more comfortable with. Familiarity is the key as far as Janet Norton is concerned: "For a lot of the children, what we were feeding them, the processed food, they were happy with... It's mainly trying to substitute the food that the children recognise with the home-produced alternatives." Success in the county's primary schools is also proving a big advantage when those children go up to secondary school, and is helping to spread the message at 11+. A more healthy approach to school dinners is almost inevitably more expensive, not just in terms of ingredients, but also in labour costs. School cooks are now required to spend more time preparing food, rather than simply opening tins and frozen packets. At Minsterley Primary School cooks start preparing food at 9.15am and are serving the 60-80 pupils by midday. Cook-in-charge Helen described a typical lunchtime: "There's very little out of a tin or processed food now. It's all coming in a lot fresher. Even beef burgers are made from scratch." | 
