Primary schools BAN puddings in healthy eating push

PRIMARY schools have BANNED puddings like custard, jam roly polys and jelly in a healthy eating push.

Kids will only receive fruit and yogurt for dessert instead of the sweet treats that have delighted schoolchildren for decades.

Meanwhile, the amount of red meat on offer has been reduced – and only appears three times on the weekly menu at primaries and nurseries.

And children will also be served up two portions of fresh vegetables every day with dinner in the menu overhaul.

The move comes 16 years after Jamie Oliver rejuvenated school lunches across Britain.

The celebrity chef, and dad-of-five, made it his mission to replace turkey twizzlers and chicken dinosaurs with creamy coconut fish curry and Mexican bean wraps.

And now Glasgow City Council is taking things a step further by axing sugary delights in a bid to ensure tots are having a more well-balanced meal.

The jam roly poly was first introduced to the school menu in the 1940s.

And kids have also been eating lumpy rice puddings, custard, jelly and ice-cream for generations.

Speaking at a council meeting yesterday, SNP Councillor Margaret Morgan said: “This is very close to my heart having taught many many hungry children.

“Hungry children really don’t learn and for many children it is the only meal of the day.”

She added: “When I was first elected in some schools I was horrified at the quality of the food that was on offer for children. Thankfully that seems to be addressed in this report.”

A Halal menu is also available for children and there is also a bid to swap plastic multi-portion serving trays for melamine plates and bowls.

The number of pupils registered for free school meals in Scotland has risen sharply since March 2020 up from 25,899 to 27,804.

HEALTHY DINNERS

SNP Councillor Elaine Ballantyne said: “It is really good to see the nutritional aspect of the free school meals being addressed. 

“We know this may be the only nutritious meal some kids may have.”

The changes in school meal content come following updates to Scottish Government nutrition legislation.

The council’s head of catering and facilities management Stephen Sawers said: “This is not just about complying with legislation it is about service improvement and going on a journey in terms of educating our children in terms of food choices and behaviours.”

He told the committee staff has been receiving training to improve recipes and the quality of food.

The council is also drafting plans to allow food to be pre-ordered soon, which could reduce waste and provide information on popular meals.

The School Meals Act was introduced way back in 1906 – bringing a guarantee that every child going to school here in Britain would get one hot, free meal-a-day.

In reality, many councils didn’t implement this until 1914 – and some even later.

For those kids who did get fed, it tended to be a breakfast on offer.

Porridge was normally on the menu, made with milk and treacle, followed by bread with margarine spread or dripping, and a glass of milk to drink.

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