We’d like to ask Edinburgh Council to re-examine the food provided to local schools and decide whether it meets the commitments set out on their website.
The main concerns are:
1) the menu provided does not meet the ‘healthy choices’ commitment. Eg there are options on consecutive days for ‘beef grill in a bun’, ‘pizza, salad, sautéed potato’ and ‘fish fillet, chips, peas’. You wouldn’t consider going to McDonalds for lunch one day, Pizza Hut the next day followed by a chippy on the third day to be part of healthy diet, yet this is what is being offered to our children.
These treat/junk items are not the whole menu, but they appear regularly undermining the message that parents/schools want to project about healthy eating and healthy choices. That the school provides this food sends a message that it actively encourages eating it.
2) the food provided is poor quality. There are reports from adults working at schools that it’s of a low standard showing that children are not just being picky when they say they dislike it. The meals cannot be seen to provide value for money if they are not eaten.
We’d like to see more thought going in to school food. We are very supportive of our local schools and would like to see this element of our children’s education improved. As we all know from various media reports, a well-nourished child is a better student with fewer health issues and this can only benefit us all.
Petition status
Invalid in terms of paragraph 1 (2) of our petitions criteria as it relates to a matter already being considered or scheduled to be considered by the Council or a committee.
