Midlothian Council gains Bronze award

Councillor Dianne Alexander receives the Food for Life Served Here Bronze award from Lucy MacLellan at Lasswade Primary School, Midlothian.

Huge congratulations to Midlothian Council caterers who have achieved the Food for Life Served Here Bronze award for the local authority's school meals service across its 28 primary schools. The prestigious certification is a nationally recognised mark of quality, which ensures the more than 4,000 school meals being served daily are good for pupils’ health, the environment and the local economy.

The programme is run by Soil Association Scotland and funded by Scottish Government. Midlothian Council is the 16th Scottish local authority to achieve the award.

The award was presented to Councillor Dianne Alexander by Lucy MacLellan, Menu and Catering Skills Officer, Soil Association Scotland, at an event at Lasswade Primary School, Midlothian.

The Food for Life Scotland (FFLS) programme, led by Soil Association Scotland and funded by Scottish Government since 2012, provides a framework through which local authorities and public sector sites can ensure they are serving good food. This is done by meeting a set of standards to achieve the Food for Life Served Here award at Bronze, Silver or Gold level.

School meals are an important nutritional safety net for Scotland’s children. Public sector food also has huge potential to contribute to environmental goals through providing a route to market for ethical, environmentally-friendly and sustainably-sourced produce, while buying locally strengthens local economies, and contributes to making Scotland a Good Food Nation.

As part of the Food for Life Served Here Award, Midlothian Council’s catering teams ensure that a minimum of 75 percent of dishes are freshly prepared from unprocessed ingredients. Meals are also free from undesirable trans fats, sweeteners and additives, and use free range eggs, higher welfare meat and ingredients from sustainable and ethical sources.

Midlothian Council is also working with local suppliers, such as Campbell Brothers and George Anderson and Sons, to source seasonal, Scottish produce. Pupils enjoy freshly made dishes including campfire chilli with rice and sweetcorn, homemade tomato pasta with mixed vegetables, and steak pie with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.

Cllr Dianne Alexander, Cabinet Member with responsibility for community facilities, said: “For a future healthy nation, it is very important that our children get a good heathy start in life, and I am glad to see our children are being provided with healthy nutritious meals. It is also good for our environment and local economy that we are working with local suppliers to source seasonal, Scottish produce for our school meals. Achieving this award is good for our pupils’ health, good for the environment and good for the local economy. The council will now work towards attaining the Silver level award.”

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Mairi Gougeon MSP said: “I would like to congratulate Midlothian Council for gaining the Food for Life Served Here Bronze award. This is well-deserved recognition for the work by the council’s catering teams, and shows their dedication to serving high quality school meals in local schools. The Food for Life Served Here award provides an important framework for achieving broader health, climate and economic goals. I would urge other local authorities to work with the Food for Life Scotland team to gain the award and help contribute to making Scotland a Good Food Nation.”

Sarah Duley, Head of Food, Soil Association Scotland said: “We’re delighted to welcome Midlothian Council as the latest local authority to achieve the Food for Life Served Here Bronze award for its school meals service. This is a huge achievement that shows the commitment of caterers to providing pupils with a hot, nutritious meal made with fresh, local and sustainable ingredients. Congratulations to Midlothian Council for putting more good food on school plates, supporting Scotland’s food businesses and Good Food Nation ambitions.”