The 384 sites that are served by Derbyshire Catering Service successfully met the Food for Life Served Here (FFLSH) criteria developed by the Soil Association. Throughout the Coviid-19 pandemic Derbyshire County Council has continued to provide healthy and locally sourced meals to schoolchildren.
Derbyshire County Council’s cabinet member for young people councillor Alex Dale, said: “I’d like to thank the staff who have worked really hard to gain this accreditation.
“It’s so important that we serve meals that meet the ‘Food for Life Served Here’ criteria to pupils in school as this means we only use British and Farm Assured meat, MSC Certified fish and free-range eggs.”
DCS uses local suppliers including:
- Holdsworth Foods in Chesterfield: eggs and milk.
- John Palin and Tomsons’ in Buxton: fruit and vegetables.
- Lowerhurst Organic: beef.
The Food for Life Served Here scheme also aims to teach young people about the food they eat, following the journey from ‘farm to fork’.
Alice Littlehailes, headteacher of St Luke’s CE Primary School, added: “Food for Life Served Here has had a really positive impact on the pupils at St Luke’s. We can be confident that the children have had a healthy nutritious meal, which helps them to be good learners.
“FFLSH also impacts on the curriculum because the link between food and health is made explicit every day. The children have even been given the chance to plan their own menus and have them cooked and served for school lunches.”