David Weller, managing director of Alliance in Partnership, explains why he doesn’t share their concerns.
Childhood obesity levels are said to have tripled in the past 30 years* despite a wealth of information on nutrition and exercise.
Healthy eating has been a core national focus, with school meals constantly under the spotlight.
David Weller, managing director of Alliance in Partnership, explains why he doesn’t share their concerns.
Childhood obesity levels are said to have tripled in the past 30 years* despite a wealth of information on nutrition and exercise.
Healthy eating has been a core national focus, with school meals constantly under the spotlight.
One of the most vocal campaigners is TV chef Jamie Oliver, who highlighted poor standards in some schools and has helped change what children eat.
Thanks to Jamie’s intervention, the law was tightened in England for local authority primary schools in 2008 and secondary schools in 2009, so school lunches had to meet strict nutritional criteria.
Sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks disappeared from vending machines and fat became a four-letter word.
But these issues have now come back to the fore, with Jamie’s recent comments that schools with academy status that withdraw from local authority control, may no longer adhere to Government standards.
His main concern is that nutritional guidelines will be ignored and academies may lose focus on this key issue.
He raised doubts about the commitment of academies to the National School Food Standards and school dinners were once again in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
His comments followed the lead of the Local Authority Caterers’ Association (LACA), which had suggested that Department for Education trust in academies was being breached or relaxed and that many academies were re-installing unhealthy vending machines.
The organisation believes progress is being derailed and has raised fears about ‘the return of the Turkey Twizzler’.
Education Secretary Michael Gove says there is no reason to believe academies would not provide healthy meals but, without a clear picture, the concerns are out there. So much so, that the School Food Trust asked academies to share their position, confirming whether they are committed to following the national standards for food in schools.
I would like this opportunity to present an alternative view from someone with extensive firsthand experience.
At Alliance in Partnership (AiP), we have offered nutritious, healthy food to schools since 1998, long before Jamie Oliver’s campaign, and academies are no exception.
We work with more than 20 academies across the UK and we all admire Jamie’s passion on this issue.
I can assure him that we share his commitment to healthy eating, but in my experience his concerns are unfounded.
Schools that have become academies have not changed their values and are still equally committed to the health and welfare of their pupils.
Academies are generally open for longer hours, providing a wider range of meals from breakfast to after school food, so it is vital that the standards are high.
One issue is making sure school dinners are both nutritious and affordable. Private caterers, of course, need to focus on the bottom line, but we all understand that providing sub-standard ingredients to make more money is irresponsible and has health risk implications.
Our use of local suppliers where possible means that, as far as AiP is concerned, healthy and cost-effective is a reality and we never compromise on quality.
It is true that academy schools do not officially have to adhere to the Food Standards requirements of 14 nutritional elements and 11 different food groups across a three-week menu. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still doing this, and a look at menus certainly reflects this.
We work closely with all our clients to create healthy, balanced menus and to maintain the excellent reputation we have established over the years, which has been recognised through national awards.
One such is Food for Life’s ‘Gold’ Catering Mark, which recognises success in sourcing and preparation of organic, local produce, as well as Marine Stewardship Council and Red Tractor approved ingredients.
In addition, we support efforts to encourage pupils to take an interest in their food and to understand its origins. This type of education is invaluable and can help establish good eating habits that last a lifetime.
New academies typically take an average of six months to achieve legal status change. However changes are ongoing for many months afterwards, particularly across finance infrastructure managing invoice alterations and VAT implications.
The main reasons for adopting academy status is to bring cost management in-house, gain greater independence and ownership for streamlining costs, and more versatility.
This brings greater choice and room for improvement which crosses into the dining hall with biometric cashless systems, kitchen equipment and menu variety. We have certainly not noticed any drop in standards.
Improved ownership brings flexibility and tailored investment, which in turn creates more loyalty and incentive for the school pupils, staff and governors and more customers for external associates such as contract caterers.
We believe that more schools will change status as the financial and governing benefits far outweigh the time and effort involved in the movement.
Having built up a strong reputation for good, nutritious meals, we certainly won’t be compromising food standards in any way.
*Source – Centre for Disease Control and Prevention