Councils in the north move to re-assure parents about school meal quality
Some local authorities have come under fire for importing ingredients
Highland and Moray councils have moved to re-assure parents about the content of their school meals.
It's after some local authorities in Scotland were criticised for importing ingredients like meat, fruit and vegetables.
Both told MFR News the majority of their ingredients are locally sourced and compliant with government legislation.
Councillor Drew Millar, Highland Council's Chair of the Education, Children and Adult Services Committee said: “Our catering service is proud to provide good value meals using quality ingredients carefully sourced.
“Quality ingredients are carefully sourced for Highland school meals including local supplies of beef, lamb, venison, free range eggs, and organic carrots.
"All beef, lamb and pork sourced from Munro the butcher are all Quality Meat Scotland products as well as being local. Seasonal local fresh fruit and vegetables are supplied as much as possible from Swansons Fruit Company, Inverness.”
While a Moray Council spokesperson said: “We have a very good record when it comes to sourcing food products locally and it is something of which we are proud.
“We use very little convenience food and all the meals we served in our schools are made from raw ingredients. For example, our sausages and hot dogs are made to our own recipe, we make our own chicken and fish goujons and we make our own sausage rolls and some pizzas.
“The fact that we served good, fresh and wholesome meals is reflected in the fact that the uptake in school dinners among primary children has risen from 39% in 2008 to more than 64% last year.”