Food Outwith School Lunch ____________________________________________ - PDF document

Food Outwith School Lunch _______________________________________________________________________________ Education Policies and Guidance Standards for School Food outwith the School Lunch Category: Pupils : Wellbeing Risk Management and Legal Implications Failure to manage risk may impact on the delivery of Service objectives and the outcomes achieved by Service users. The Education Service aims to mitigate the implications by ongoing management and review of risk in all elements of work activity. The production of this document is one way in which we aim to reduce our exposure to risk. By providing staff with information on good practice, making reference to other guidance that is available across the Council and providing clarity on how we should do things, we can ensure that the management of risk is intrinsic to what we do Version: 01 Last revision: September 2013 Food Outwith School Lunch _______________________________________________________________________________ Current version at September 2013 Page 2 of 15 Food Outwith School Lunch ______________________________________________________________________________ Current version at September 2013 Page 3 of 15 FIFE COUNCIL FIFE COUNCIL – EDUCATION SERVICE STANDARDS FOR FOOD OUTWITH THE SCHOOL LUNCH To All Schools/Educational Establishments Introduction Influencing the choices of food available in tuck shops and linking it to what is being taught in the curriculum is a vital part of the whole school approach to food as recommended in Hungry for Success. The introduction of the Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007, known as the Act, has introduced nutritional standards for all food and drink in schools and under the Act, local authorities now have a duty to ensure that the food and drink provided in schools complies with these nutritional requirements. The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland)introduced in June 2008 build on the progress already made by schools and will make an important contribution to improving the health of our children and young people. The Act also encourages schools to follow similar principles at social and cultural events held throughout the school year. Such events might include discos, summer fetes, sports days and various fund raising events. If asking for parental input into these events it is crucial that they are made aware of what will be expected of them in relation to the provision of any food and drink. Examples of healthier foods that could be provided at school events can be found in Appendix One The overall aim of this policy and relevant guidance is to promote healthy eating. It is recommended that the sale of food in schools should reflect this and be regarded not merely as a means of generating funds. It should be noted that healthy choices do not necessarily mean no profit. To become a Health Promoting School it will be necessary to promote healthy eating throughout the school and to offer healthy snacks. Exemptions to the Food and Nutrition aspects of the Act Nursery Schools Nursery Schools fall outwith the nutritional requirements for food and drink regulations as there is specific guidance for children aged 1-5 years in early education and childcare settings. All Nursery Schools should have a copy of the Nutritional Guidance for Early Years – food choices for children aged 1-5 years in early education and childcare settings which was published in January 2006. This document is available for download on the Scottish Government website www.scotland.gov.uk . Food Outwith School Lunch ______________________________________________________________________________ Current version at September 2013 Page 4 of 15 Additional Support Needs Schools Schools need to meet the food and drink guidance; however there are exemptions when talking about textures for differing foods or during classroom activities. It is then acceptable to use a variety of foods for a particular purpose. Home Economics Food and drink used in teaching food preparation and cookery skills within Home Economics fall out with the guidance, provided that any food prepared is not served to the pupils as part of the school meal. However, it is recommended that food and drink chosen for these activities reflect the nutritional guidance and the ethos of a Health Promoting School. Tuck Shop Guidance This guidance is to help schools achieve the most from their tuck shops while ensuring that healthy food is available. It includes recommendations on how tuck shops may be run, such as supplies and the timing of tuck shops, what constitutes healthy choices. It also includes the nutritional specification for permitted products for sale in tuck shops. Tuck Shops may be run by the following ways School School with pupil participation Pupils Catering Service PTA/Parents It is up to a school to decide how they wish to manage the running of the school tuck shop but schools should consider the respective benefits of following certain procedures as outlined below. Pupils are involved in the tuck shop as an enterprise project or part of their learning experiences to ownership of what is stocked/sold The tuck shop is run by school staff / or with pupils (admin staff, classroom assistants, janitors, etc) which facilitate cash handling and administration The tuck shop is run by Catering Service. Products that are sourced through Fife Council Contracts Food Outwith School Lunch ______________________________________________________________________________ Current version at September 2013 Page 5 of 15 What should be sold in tuck shops Schools must comply with the food and drink standards shown in the tables below. Yes Select with care No Foods that must be available A variety of fruits and /or vegetables must be available in all school food outlets These could include for example: Whole or pieces of fresh fruit Canned fruit in Natural juice Raw vegetables Salads Foods that can be provided if specific criteria are met Dried fruit (with no added sugar) Only savoury snacks that have reduced amounts of fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugar in a pack size no more than 25gms are allowed This includes for example: crisps, crisp like products, pretzels, salted or sweetened popcorn, rice crackers, cream crackers, oatcakes and bread sticks See below for a guide on how to select savoury snacks that meet this criteria: Foods that cannot be provided X NO confectionery X No chocolate and chocolate products (e.g. bars of milk plain or white chocolate, chocolate flakes, buttons, or chocolate-filled eggs and chocolate spread) X No chocolate coated products (e.g. partially or fully coated biscuits, chocolate coated fruit or nuts, choc ices and chocolate-coated ice cream and cereals coated in chocolate) Food Outwith School Lunch ______________________________________________________________________________ Current version at September 2013 Page 6 of 15 Pack size no more than 25g No more than 22g of fat per 100g No more than 2g of saturated fat per 100g No more than 0.6g of sodium per 100g No more than 3 g of total sugar per 100g X No sweets including sugar free sweets (e.g. boiled, gum/gelatine, liquorice, mint and other sweets, lollypops, fudge, tablet, toffee, sherbet, marshmallows and chewing gum) X No chocolate, yoghurt or sugar coated dried fruits and nuts X No Cereal bars, processed fruit sweets and bars X No fried foods X No savoury snacks, with a fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugar content over the criteria specified in Appendix One and in a pack size greater than 25g Food Outwith School Lunch ______________________________________________________________________________ Current version at September 2013 Page 7 of 15 At a glance - Drink Standards outwith school lunch Yes Select with care No Drinking water must be availableFree drinking water must be available in schools at alltimes Drinks that are allowed: Mineral water (still or carbonated) Semi skimmed, skimmed milk or lower fat milksOther drinks that are allowed to be provided if specific criteria are met: Milk products (hot or cold) containing: No more than 1.8g of total fat per 100mls No more than 10g of total sugar per 100mls No more than 20g of total sugars per portion size Drinking Yoghurtscontaining: No more than 1.8g of total fat per 100mls No more than 10g of total sugar per 100mls Examples of drinks that are not allowed X No soft drinks (still or carbonated) including flavoured waters ( the only exception is the combination drinks that meet the criteria set out in the Select with care column) X No sugar-free soft drinks (still or carbonated) including flavoured waters X No sweetened fruit juice X No sweetened or salted vegetable juice X No squashes/cordialsincluding lower sugar and no added sugar versions X No whole milk X No sport drinks Food Outwith School Lunch ______________________________________________________________________________ Current version at September 2013 Page 8 of 15 No more than 20g of total sugars per portion size Soya, rice or oat drinks enriched with calcium containing: No more than 1.8g of total fat per 100mls No more than 5g of total sugars per 100mls No more than 10g of total sugars per portion size. Any variety of fruit or vegetable juice (including fruit juice made from concentrate or partially made from concentrate) which meets the following criteria: Unsweetened and unsalted Food Outwith School Lunch ______________________________________________________________________________ Current version at September 2013 Page 9 of 15 A portion size no more than 200ml A blend containing any of the following ingredients, either singly or in a combination Fruit Fruit juice Vegetable Vegetable juice And with no added sugar or salt and a maximum portion size of 200ml Drinks made with a combination of water (still or carbonated) and fruit and/or vegetable juicewhich contains No added sugar No more than 20g of sugar per portion size 50% or more fruit or vegetable juice No more than 200ml fruit or vegetable juice Food Outwith School Lunch ______________________________________________________________________________ Current version at September 2013 Page 10 of 15 Tea and coffee – the use of any milk in these drinks should be restricted to semi-skimmed, skimmed milk or lower fat milks Reference: Extract from Healthy Eating in Schools, a guide to implementing the nutritional requirements for food and drink in schools (Scotland) regulations 2008 Header here ______________________________________________________________________________ 11 Additional Information Issues of hygiene All those handling food should be aware of basic food handling procedures and have had appropriate training where required. See Appendix Two. Timing of Tuck Shops Tuck shops may be run before school starts, or during break-time but should not operate where it would interfere with teaching time. If tuck shops are operated after the lunch break then their operation should comply with the guidance relating to food standards for school lunches. (Section Three Healthy Eating in Schools, a guide to implementing the nutritional requirements for food and drink in schools (Scotland) regulations 2008.) Where possible in Primary Schools, and particularly as regards the infant department, enough time should elapse between break time and lunch time. To avoid competition, tuck shops should not be run at the same time as breakfast clubs or actual serving of lunches, unless the tuck shop provides a wide selection of food items, which could constitute an alternative to a meal and is therefore used as a means of reducing queuing time. Vending Machines Schools may have vending machines in a variety of places within the school to serve different purposes, e.g. to sell sandwiches at lunchtimes to help to reduce queuing or as a tuck shop alternative where there are large numbers. In deciding on the location it is important to ensure that machines can be easily accessed by staff replenishing supplies and also where there would be less opportunity for vandalism. Any food and drink sold through vending machines must comply with the Food and Drinks standards. Standard Circular 12 Appendix One Food for Special Events The majority of schools will hold one-off special events throughout the school year e.g. School fetes, Christmas Parties etc. These one-off events are exempt from the Nutritional Guidance for food and drink Regulations. However, consideration should be given as far as possible to the recommended guidance. It is important to ensure that any food or drink provided reflects the ethos of a Health Promoting School. Some examples of healthier foods that could be promoted at school events are: Fruit platters Fruit smoothies Fruit and vegetable kebabs Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Sandwiches or wraps including low fat fillings Healthier home baking such as pancakes, scones, flapjack, carrot cake etc. Standard Circular 13 Appendix Two Food Hygiene Guidelines The aim of these guidelines is to provide basic advice for the safe handling, preparation and serving of food on school premises. The Food Standards Agency has issued a statement on the handling, preparation and serving of food in school classrooms (www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2008/jul/classroomfood) Good food hygiene is essential to make sure that the food you serve is safe to eat. A copy of this guidance should be given to and signed by anyone involved in the handling of food in a school setting. The school should retain the signed copy in its records. Personal Hygiene You can prevent the spread of harmful bacteria by observing these basic personal hygiene rules. 1. Hand washing is essential in preventing the spread of germs, all people handling food must wash their hands: Before preparing food After touching raw foods After going to the toilet After coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose After emptying the rubbish bin. After smoking 2. People working with food should wear clean clothes or an apron 3. All cuts/sores should be covered with clean waterproof dressings 4. All jewellery should be kept to a minimum whilst preparing food 5. Food handling should be kept to a minimum Food Hygiene Following good hygiene practices during food preparation is an important element in preventing food poisoning. In order to minimise the risk the following rules should be followed. 1. Ensure that all work surfaces are clean prior to any food preparation 2. All food should be brought from a reputable supplier Standard Circular 14 3. Ensure that all food used is within its ‘Use by’ or ‘Best before date’ 4. Fruits and vegetables should be washed before use 5. Food should be kept covered to prevent contamination 6. Food should not be prepared too far in advance of being served 7. Chilled foods should kept between 0°C and 5°C as soon after preparation as possible. Cleaning A good cleaning routine is essential when dealing with food. Cleaning will prevent the build up of dirt and harmful germs that may expose food to the risk of contamination. A good cleaning guide is : 1. Adopt a ‘clean as you go’ policy 2. Chopping boards and equipment used for food preparation should be cleaned after every use. 3. Pans, crockery, cutlery etc should be cleaned after each use using an anti-bactericidal washing up liquid. 4. Cleaning equipment such as mops, cloths, tea towels should be kept clean and changed regularly to avoid contamination. 5. Rubbish should not be allowed to build up within the kitchen area. School ……………………………………………I ………………………………………………….. have read the above guidelines and agree to abide by them when preparing fruit for consumption in the tuck shop. Date………………………………………….. Standard Circular 15 References All of the references below can be accessed from the Scottish Government Website – www.scotland.gov.uk 1. Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Act 2007 Health Promotion Guidance for Local Authorities and Schools (Scottish Government 2008) 2. Healthy Eating in Schools A guide to implementing the nutritional requirements for food and drink in schools (Scotland) regulations 2008. (Scottish Government 2008) 3. Nutrition guidance for early years Food choices for children aged 1-5 years in early education and childcare settings (Scottish Government 2006)