Spot checks could be carried out at Nottingham schools to ensure they are meeting standards in terms of the meals they provide to pupils. Nottingham City Council has been announced as one of 18 local authorities which will take part in the pilot of a new scheme to make sure food safety standards are being met in English schools.
The pilot scheme will last throughout the current academic year and observations such as menu checks will be made to see if schools are meeting standards around food safety and nutrition. Councils will then work with schools to support them if necessary to make sure they are meeting these standards.
Lee Kimberley, the Head of Nottingham Catering at Nottingham City Council, said: "We're pleased to confirm that we are taking part in this national pilot to promote school food standards. We anticipate that Environmental Health officers will carry out spot checks in Nottingham schools, alongside their routine inspections, to ensure that children are receiving high-quality, healthy and nutritious meals.
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"The Food Standards Agency (FSA) will then give schools and the council feedback about their findings, including to Nottingham Catering where we are the service provider. Although prices are rising at a significant rate, Nottingham Catering will continue to meet school food standards because our priority is to give children a nourishing meal during the day to support their health, wellbeing and educational attainment."
Professor Susan Jebb, the chair of the FSA, which announced the pilot, 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."
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