The service currently supports more than 60 schools to serve on average 10,400 school meals a day across primary, secondary and special schools. The new contracts will ensure compliance with the national School Food Standards and meet the award criteria set as part of the services' Food for Life Bronze accreditation.
Councillor Martin Bond, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and governance, said: "Our school catering service deliver thousands of school meals every week, alongside supporting other key catering services run by the council.
“This is a vital service that we're delivering with you, for you, committed to making sure children get freshly made meals every school day and this new contract, if approved by Cabinet, would allow us to continue to deliver on this commitment.
"The proposed contractors have made commitments also to schemes and supplier engagement to support the local supply chain. Other social value activity includes tree planting, local employment, support for local communities, young people and local foodbanks, with a commitment to a specified number of hours of social value throughout the duration of contract duration."
The contracts are vital for ensuring the 5,883 children eligible for free school meals have access to nutritious meals. The contracts will be decided on at Cabinet on Wednesday 18th June.