Oldham Council to trial School Food Standards scheme

Oldham Council is one of 18 across the country that is taking part in the school meals project

Oldham Council has joined a new pilot scheme aimed at improving standards in school meals.

The local authority is one of 18 across the country that is taking part in the project, which is being run by The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Department for Education. 

Taking place over this academic year, the pilot aims to design and test a new approach to supporting schools so they can meet existing School Food Standards.

These set out how menus should be designed to ensure children are receiving healthy and nutritionally balanced food.

Environmental Health Officers will assess menus and observe food being served, alongside carrying out a Food Hygiene inspection, to assess how safely the food is being prepared.

Findings from routine school kitchen inspections nationally will be reported back to government so they can be looked at and collated.

It is hoped the results will help increase compliance levels to ensure the meals served are the healthiest they can be.

Councillor Hannah Roberts, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “With the cost-of-living crisis hitting families hard, school food is more important than ever.

"Unfortunately, it may be the only proper meal some of our children get, which in this day and age is shocking.

“Over the coming months, we want to make sure that we are supporting schools across the borough in the best way to comply with School Food Standards.

“This pilot will help us further explore how we can give our children the best start in life, ensuring nutritious food is available to help them grow, develop and learn.”

Professor Susan Jebb, FSA Chair, said: “Schools play a crucial role in providing children with healthy food to help them concentrate and thrive in the classroom and beyond. 

“We all want to ensure that the food served in schools meets the standards that have been set. 

“This project will give insight into what’s happening in schools today and identify whether additional support is needed to help them to do the very best they can for children and drive positive change in the school food system.”

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.