New school meals policy welcomed
May 8, 2009 12:00 AM
A new cultural and religious food policy has been released by Education Leeds which aims to transform school meals and reduce barriers for children from different backgrounds.
The new guidance specifically focuses on religious requirements such as halal, vegetarian and kosher. It is designed to get all schools up to the same standard and ensure that pupils have choice and that food is stored, prepared and served in the correct way.
Education Leeds commissioned a two year research project conducted by Leeds Metropolitan University into schools meals and have consulted widely with faith groups and religious community leaders throughout the city.
Community leaders expressed concerns about inconsistency in the provision of halal and vegetarian food. In the past some Muslim pupils have been offered halal meat whereas others haven't.
The leaders suggested that clear definition of vegetarian foods for Indian and Asian vegetarians would encourage more families to allow their children to have a school meal in school at lunch time.
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Cllr Kabeer Hussain (Lib Dem, Hyde Park and Woodhouse) said:
"I was very pleased to make a contribution to this policy. I would like to thank the officers at Education Leeds for all their hard work in putting this together. It is important that there is consistency and that every child gets the same quality and choice offered to them no matter which school they attend.
"Being absent at lunchtime means that children are missing out on time with their friends and fellow pupils. These new guidelines will hopefully make parents a lot happier about keeping their children in school for lunch. "
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