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School meals champion Jeanette Orrey, the Nottinghamshire dinner lady who inspired Jamie Oliver’s school meals campaign, has presented the silver Food for Life catering mark to Plymouth City Council’s Education Catering Service.

The award was earned by the service for the healthy, climate-friendly meals served to 72 schools across the city.

Brad Pearce, education catering manager at Plymouth City Council said: “Achieving the silver Catering Mark recognises of the hard work and dedication of the team in sourcing local produce and developing recipes and menus which are truly fresh, seasonal and local.

“Working together with our suppliers, frontline staff and schools we have been able to show that it is possible deliver a first class service to the children and young people of Plymouth and at the same time support the local economy.

“For 2012 and the Olympics our next step is Gold.”

Explaining the importance of the catering mark, Jeanette Orrey, school meals policy adviser at the Food for Life Partnership, said: "The Food for Life catering mark has been launched in response to public concern about the implications of 'cheap food' for health, animal welfare and the environment.

“It gives caterers across the public and private sectors a way of proving their commitment to the freshly prepared, ethically sourced food that customers are asking for.

"When eating out, people want reassurance that their food, and their children’s food, is fresh, honest and additive-free. They want to know that the issues they care about, from animal welfare to climate change, have been taken care of.

"The Soil Association’s Food for Life catering mark helps leading caterers give their customers that reassurance".

The catering mark offers a step-by-step route to providing freshly prepared, locally produced, seasonal and organic food. Open to caterers in all sectors, it has three tiers: bronze, silver and gold, with the bronze award requiring the caterer’s menu to be 75% freshly prepared and seasonal.

The Food for Life Partnership is a network of schools and communities across England committed to transforming food culture.

The initiative is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and led by the Soil Association, bringing together the practical expertise of the Focus on Food Campaign, Garden Organic and the Health Education Trust.

To join the Food for Life Partnership or find out more, check out www.foodforlife.org.uk