Changes on the menu for school dinners

For the past eight years the council has had a contract with Taylor Shaw to provide school dinners, but the agreement runs out next June.

The council is now inviting tenders for a new contract, to run until 2025, and two of the issues it will be looking at is packaging and how waste food is handled.

In a report, officers say: “The citywide contract was designed by headteachers in 2000. The basis is that each school benefits from the economies of scale by pooling their resources so they receive the service they need, when they need it.”

Around 22,000 school meals are made every day. The food has to meet nutritional standards set by both the council and the government.

By having a citywide contract, the council can save money and provide for a range of medical diets and religious requirements.

The report adds: “Re-tendering the school catering contract will ensure that a high quality, value for money service can be achieved for schools.

“The council also gains by being able to guide and influence in relation to public health and wider city priorities, such as climate change.”