Schools join Local Food campaign (From Free Press Series)

Schools join Local Food campaign

A GROUNDBREAKING scheme to introduce fresh, locally sourced food into school dinners and teach children about healthy eating has been launched in Monmouthshire.

The pilot project involving three primary schools in Monmouthshire - Overmonnow, Llandogo and Shirenewton - is trying to bring together the use of fresh, unprocessed produce with an education programme to encourage children to have a healthy balanced diet.

And the initiative marks a major breakthrough in the Free Press Eat Local, Eat Healthy campaign which aims encourage people throughout Monmouthshire to choose produce grown and nurtured in the county.

Assembly Member Mike German launched the school dinner project this week at Overmonnow Primary School.

The initiative aims to increase the uptake of school meals, boost the local economy and blaze a trail for schools across Wales.

AM Mike German said: "Serving fresh food in an interactive environment will lead to happy, healthy children while boosting the local economy."

The pilot scheme follows a Better School Dinner conference held last year by the Wye Valley AONB and Sustain.

The meeting chaired by Mike German and supported by the Free Press, led to the development of a working group to tackle the issues faced by schools in Monmouthshire.

The pilot project will look at the supply of fresh, unprocessed food to school kitchens, training and funding requirements. Fresh produce to be supplied to schools will include locally sourced red meat and vegetables.

Monmouthshire council are also looking into the possibility of a local collection and distribution centre for local produce in the county.

But taking school meals back to basics to provide nutritious food would mean big changes for children, parents, school staff and local producers, warned Mr German.

But he said: "The willingness to make it work is there and people are more and more aware of how much is being spent on food and where this can benefit the local economy."

Huw Williams, headteacher of Overmonnow Primary School, said children are encouraged to think about the food they eat as part of their lessons. He said: "As part of the school curriculum the children plan a healthy menu so that they understand what a balanced diet is over the course of a week."