A significant majority of parents were in favour of paying more for school meals if they contained more local produce and less ultra-processed food, according to government survey results.
Figures have been released by Education Minister Daphne Caine after a question from Ramsey MHK Lawrie Hooper.
The findings, from a published Parent and Carer Survey, showed that 62% of respondents were “happy to pay more” under these conditions.
A further 25% answered “maybe”, while only 13% said “no”.
Concerns
Over the summer, the government confirmed its new primary school menus, which were calculated to contain 25% local produce and 5.3% ultra-processed food (UPF).
The survey also revealed concerns about food processing levels, with 54% of the 424 parents and carers stating they were “very concerned” that school meals may contain UPFs.
A further 58% directly answered “yes” when asked if they would like to see a reduction in UPF levels in school meals.
Mrs Caine explained that the NOVA food classification system was used to calculate what UPF items are.
“To assess the level of UPF in the school menu, each complete meal or meal item was classified in line with the above criteria,” the Minister stated.
The same counting method was applied for local produce. The published menu cycle showed daily calorie counts, which ranged from 501 to 616 per meal including milk, fruit, and unlimited salad.
Who Was Asked?
When asked why not all schoolchildren were consulted on the new menus, the minister confirmed surveys were shared with all headteachers.
Of this, 20 primary schools saw no response from students, while two had no response from parents.
“Individual school feedback was not prioritised and decisions were guided by overall response percentages and recurring themes,” the minister said, adding that “there is no plan to publish long form survey response information.”
The parent survey highlighted other areas for improvement with the top responses being “good quality protein” (209), “adequate freshly prepared options” (206), and “a wide choice each day” (216).