News

Here is the guidance from the DfE:

Contacting suppliers

You should contact any food suppliers before 1 January 2021, to check whether:

• they’ll need to change meals or ingredients
• their secondary suppliers are prepared

Making changes to school menus

The school food standards allow you to make changes to school meals but you’ll still need to:

• meet nutritional standards
• meet pupils’ special dietary needs
• manage allergens
• provide meals to registered pupils who request one
• provide free meals to pupils who qualify

You may need to consider whether changes are necessary. These might include:

• varying the timing and number of deliveries to allow for transport delays
• being as flexible as possible on delivery times during the day
• ordering longer shelf life products during this period, such as frozen foods or foods that can be safely stored at room temperature

Checking for allergens

You should also ensure that you avoid allergens if you change meals or ingredients. Check that you are:

• following the guidance on managing food allergies in schools
• following the allergen guidance for caterers
• use the Food Standard Agency’s allergens template to help identify allergens if you adapt your menus
• reading labels and product information for any new foods you use
• aware of which pupils in your school have allergies and can identify these pupils
• still meeting the nutritional standards and special dietary requirements

The full guidance can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/preparing-for-food-supply-problems-from-1-january-2021