Perthshire North MSP, Mr John Swinney, and Perth and Kinross Council SNP Group Leader, Cllr Grant Laing, have expressed concern following reports of substandard frozen food being served to children in Dundee.
The findings, first reported in last week’s Courier, detailed concerns raised by catering staff over the quality of food being produced by Tayside Contracts. In June, Tory and Lib Dem councillors voted in favour of Tayside Contracts, a Dundee-based company, providing pre-cooked, frozen school meals to pupils across Perth and Kinross.
Commenting, Mr Swinney said:
“The concerns highlighted by catering staff raise legitimate questions over the quality of food being served to children across Perth and Kinross.
“With the SNP Government expanding free school meals to more children than ever, it is vital that local authorities ensure pupils are offered a nutritious, enjoyable and filling meal.
“Catering staff are on the frontline and are therefore best placed to know exactly the situation with our children’s food. It is therefore only right that the issues they have raised are treated seriously and fully investigated.
“To that end, I have written to Tayside Contracts to ask for their thoughts on the matter, and to enquire as to what steps they will be taking to ensure that children across Perth and Kinross will be served high-quality food.”
Cllr Laing added:
“The reports coming out of Dundee are sadly not surprising, and are exactly the sort of thing that the SNP council group warned about when we opposed the introduction of frozen school meals.
“The truth is that frozen school meals are hated by parents, pupils and catering staff. It is why thousands of individuals across Perth and Kinross signed a petition against their introduction, and it is why the Tories and Lib Dems had to vote them in via the back door.
“The Tory administration must be held accountable for this failed policy. To that end, I would encourage any Perth and Kinross-based parents or catering staff who have knowledge of substandard food being served to speak up and make their concerns known.
NOTES
Last week’s Courier article - https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/education/schools/2501264/a-head-teacher-got-what-they-thought-was-scrambled-eggs-but-it-was-custard-catering-staff-have-no-time-to-fix-problem-school-dinners/
