Food awareness organisation calls for ‘major shake up’ to school meals

Food awareness organisation Proveg UK has called for a “major shake up” in school meals saying that changes could “improve the health of their pupils, help save the planet and save money”.

Proveg has set out a plan of five changes to the meals, increasing their intake of healthy food, including offering bean burgers and cassoulet.

The organisation is to offer free training to the chefs of school catering companies in order to see their plans implemented. Proveg says that schools have a responsibility to “establish healthy eating habits from an early age”.

Director of Proveg UK, Jimmy Pierson, said: “Plant-based foods are mostly cheaper, and that is great news for schools whose budgets are tightening. They’re healthy and good for pupils in both the short and long-term as well as helping the environment and therefore protecting the future for everyone.

“We’re starting with relatively minor, easy-to-implement tweaks, but these can make a big difference in so many ways. Schools can deliver these benefits by simply offering a bean burger over a beef burger, or a cassoulet over a casserole – and we can help them every step of the way.”