Northamptonshire County Council Signs Up To Nutritional Analysis Service For School Meals

August 2006

Schools in Northamptonshire will soon have access to a web-based nutritional analysis system to ensure their lunches meet the Government’s tough nutrient standards ahead of the September 2008 deadline.

Prompted by concerns among schools and school caterers about meeting the nutrient standards, Northamptonshire County Council has signed a contract with Fretwell-Downing Hospitality to use its Saffron Nutrition system, the first council in the UK to take on-board the web-based version, which was launched this year.

With up to 30 different caterers operating within Northamptonshire’s schools, from national operators such as Scolarest through to regional and local caterers, and schools handling the catering in-house, the Council decided the web-analysis system provided the flexibility and accessibility it needed.

Initially the Council will pilot the technology by analysing the menus of a small number of schools, but eventually the intention is to make the web service available to all of the county’s schools, for use in-house, or by sending in menus to the Council’s nutrition department.

As Catherine Lamb, Nutritionist for Healthy Food and Drink team at Northamptonshire County Council explains: “Each school will need to know where its menu is meeting the 14 nutrient standards, which is extremely involved. Having access to this nutritional analysis technology will simplify the process, particularly as both individual recipes and bought-in products can be analysed”.

“The system will give us the confidence that we are meeting the standards, and will reassure parents that their children are receiving quality, healthy meals which are nutritionally balanced. “

Andrew Markwell, business development manager for Fretwell-Downing Hospitality added: “We are delighted to be working with Northamptonshire County Council. The fact that the county has a diverse range of catering operations within its schools suits the use of a web-based nutritional analysis system as it offers the flexibility for schools and their caterers to use, as well as being operated centrally by the Council.”
 
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