School caterers are taking ingredients off the menu because of the rising cost of food, with beef scrapped in some dining halls - reports the BBC. Others have switched suppliers to use cheap foreign imports or change the fruit and vegetables they are serving to children.
Laca, the school caterers' association for England and Wales, said more than 60 of the catering companies it asked had either switched from British meat to meat from abroad, or were considering doing so soon. Caterers reported cost increases of between 20 to 30% for many products.
Laca said one catering company reported the cost of 10kg of prepared potatoes rising from £10.46 to £15.50, and boxes of 60 eggs going up from £9.79 to £13.39. The cost of minced beef, used to make lasagne or burgers, rose by 11% overnight in recent days, it said.
