Walsall Council Catering Service

The School Food Standards have been mandatory in all maintained schools and new academies since January 2015 with Governors responsible for ensuring these are being met. They are designed to make it easier for school cooks to create imaginative, flexible and nutritious menus.

Walsall Catering Service, the council’s own catering department meets these standards as a minimum with all menus complying with the standards. Also;

Meals are cooked freshly every day by trained staff, using high quality ingredients.
Meals are now made using less sugar, salt and fat, with plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit and include a variety of healthy options.
A salad bar is available in school for all students and a wider range of fruit is now available for desert

To see the Summer 2019 menu Click Here

Food For Life Served Here

Walsall Council Catering are due to achieve their Food For Life Served Here award shortly (June 2019). This demonstrates the positive impact the catering team are making through food. An independant inspection will be taking place shortly to ensure that the food served by Walsall Council has met a set of criteria developed by the Soil Association and food industry experts.

In doing so it demonstrates how the catering team meets the National school food standards as well as their commitment to serving fresh, traceable, sustainably sourced food. Also the majority of food on the menu is freshly prepared, will always be free from undesirable trans fats, sweeteners and additives and be cooked by trained chefs, and use ingredients from sustainable and ethical sources.

When using Walsall Council Catering Teams you are guarenteed that;

· Our menus demonstrate their compliance with national standards or guidelines on food and nutrition.

· At least 75% of dishes on the menu are freshly prepared (on site or at a local hub kitchen) from unprocessed ingredients.

· All meat is from farms which satisfy UK animal welfare standards and no fish are served from the Marine Conservation Society ‘fish to avoid’ list.

· Eggs are from free range hens.

· No undesirable additives or artificial trans fats are used.

· No genetically modified ingredients are used.

· Free drinking water is prominently available.

· Menus are seasonal and in-season produce is highlighted for pupils.

· Information is on display about food provenance.

· Menus provide for all dietary and cultural needs.

· All suppliers have been verified to ensure they apply appropriate food safety standards.

· Catering staff are supported with skills training and are engaged in food education.

Why Does This Matter?

The Governing Board are responsible for the provision of school food and it is the statuatory responsibility of the governing body / trustess to ensure the School Food Standartds are being met and Ofsted are putting a much greater focus on how schools are creating a culture and ethos of healthy eating. The Department for Education recommends that all governors work with the Senior Leadership Team to develop a Whole School Food policy that sets out the schools's approach to its provision of food , food education (including pratical cooking) , the role of the catering team as part of the wider school team and the school's strategy to increase the take-up of school lunches.

Contact Us

If you would like more information on how Walsall Catering team can provdie high quality, fresh and nutritious meals in your school please contact;

Carol Smith - Regional Coordinating Manager

Walsall Council

T: 01922 658446

E: Carol.Smith@walsall.gov.uk

Sandra Yates -Regional Coordinating Manager

Walsall Council

T: 01922 650697

E: Sandra.Yates@walsall.gov.uk

Walsall Catering team can also provide more information on the School Food Standards and the Food For Life Served Here Award