Conscious as I am that much of the news about school meals at the moment is unappetising, I thought I’d share a success story.
Harrison Catering Services has been in touch to trumpet the fact that they’ve actually increased school meal uptake in the London borough of Ealing, despite the backdrop of national decline (see crisis in school kitchens?).
In fact in the academic year 2006/07 they managed to boost meal uptake at the 59 primary schools they cater at by a whopping 7% year-on-year, taking the uptake average across the borough from 37.9% to 40.5% - an improvement that the caterer says has continued since the new term this September.
Perhaps more impressive – given that 65% of councils across England that provide catering services are running deficits according to the Local Authority Caterers Association – is the achievement of a £28,500 trading surplus, which has triggered payments of £130 for Harrison’s 213 staff in the borough. Happy days!
But how have they achieved what so many haven't?
Well, self service salad bars have been introduced and menus are designed to match the local area’s ethnic mix and the tastes of pupils. And although this sounds like the most common of soundbytes to trot out, Harrison’s is adamant that staff training, specifically around healthy eating issues and techniques to encourage children to eat the improved tucker, have played a major part in fuelling the gain.
Pucker, as school meals campaigner Jamie Oliver has been known to say.
School meals: Lock them in says Leith>>
Comments (2)
I completely agree, except for 1 point. But is minimal so not a big deal. Thanks for the share!
Posted by Myspace Unblock | January 12, 2010 4:43 AM
Posted on January 12, 2010 04:43
Strange this post is totaly unrelated to what I was searching google for, but it was listed on the first page. I guess your doing something right if Google likes you enough to put you on the first page of a non related search. :)
Posted by Myspace Proxy | February 1, 2010 6:18 AM
Posted on February 1, 2010 06:18