Agenda item

ISS Barnet Schools - Healthy Eating

Minutes:

The Chairman invited to the table:

  • Ms Linda Cregan - Food Service Director, ISS Barnet
  • Ms Karin Hafner - Operations Manager, Barnet Education

 

Ms Cregan spoke to her presentation which was circulated and expanded on the presentation in the agenda. She also gave the Committee sample school menus, numerous leaflets and a list of schools where ISS provides catering services. She gave an overview of statistics on children’s diet in England and work that was ongoing in Barnet to improve diet and exercise levels, as outlined in her presentation. This included a reduction in the amount of sugary foods available in schools, recipes for families to try at home, parents’ taster events and school breakfasts and lunches.

 

ISS caters for a large number of schools and 90% of its food is local seasonal produce freshly prepared on-site every day. ISS was currently rolling out dessert free days by substituting fruit on four days of the week.

 

Ms Cregan reported that ISS runs food education days, pupil and parent cooking clubs, exercise workshops and gardening days in schools and works to help promote healthy eating messages. ISS also provides special diets for medical reasons and ensures its staff understand what ISS is trying to achieve. At lunch queues in schools ‘snacking stations’ were provided with healthy choices, as well as free hydration points with flavoured water, i.e. water with added cucumber and lemon slices – not sugar. ISS also continually seeks feedback from both Primary and Secondary school children.

 

A Member commented that some parents had fed back that pupils spend their lunch money on sugary snacks at break time and as a result could not afford lunch. Ms Cregan responded that ISS’s strict guidelines were applied throughout the day, meaning that crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks were never served in any of the schools that ISS cater for. However, some bread-type items were provided for break times. A price list was circulated at the meeting.

 

At the Council meeting on 29 January, a Member who is a School Governor reported that a parent had told her that the hot lunches were good but sandwich options provided by ISS were of poor quality. Ms Cregan said she would look into this and report back to the Committee.

Action: Ms Cregan

 

A parent at the same school had also reported that there were a lot of cakes and biscuits available and a teacher had commented that “the only way the Catering Company can make money is to increase the amount of sugar as that is where the profit margins are”.  Ms Cregan stated that cakes and biscuits were not permitted by ISS.

 

The Member also enquired about the sugary drink cartons that remained the same price despite a reduction in size. Ms Cregan responded that the Children’s Food Trust had worked with manufacturers to reduce the cartons to 250ml. This related mostly to fruit juices. Ms Hafner thought this had happened prior to ISS becoming involved with the catering in some Barnet schools.

 

A Member asked how Years 5 and 6 could be encouraged to continue with healthy eating in light of the move to cafeteria-style lunches. Ms Cregan agreed that this was a challenge as free school meals stopped at this point. ISS was considering offering more choice at junior age and she hoped more information would be available on this by the end of 2019.

 

A Member asked about pressures on costs and how good quality food can be provided considering this. Ms Cregan responded that all ISS staff training focuses on efficiently providing the best quality healthy food within budget. 

 

A Member asked what efforts were being made to help children to understand that they need to eat healthily. Ms Cregan responded that ISS nutritionists attend school assemblies to explain the impact of different foods in fun ways. Posters are supplied to schools and parent taster events are run twice a year with schools to explain what ISS is trying to achieve.

 

A Member enquired about food and allergies. Ms Cregan noted that ISS is extremely robust in this respect. Parents provide medical information so that a bespoke menu can be provided and all staff receive training in allergy management.

 

A Member, who was a School Governor at Totteridge Academy, reported that at a Health and Wellbeing event at the school it became known that none of the pupils had ever eaten porridge. The Member asked what could be done to address the issue of child hunger as this was part of the national picture. Ms Cregan responded that the Department of Health had introduced national programmes: it had provided £26 million for the Magic Breakfast campaign and was currently recruiting schools to this. The London Mayor was supporting the London Food Group which included school holiday time feeding programmes. Holiday feeding programmes tended to be charitable and more sporadic. The Department for Education would fund a series of national programmes in summer 2019. Funding could also be obtained via the London Food Board. Ms Cregan stated that ISS do not supply the catering at Totteridge Academy.

 

Resolved that the Committee noted the report.

 

 

Supporting documents: