The One Hundred Millionth Meal
The Food for Life Scotland programme celebrated a landmark milestone on Wednesday 12th December, as Mairi Gougeon MSP joined festive celebrations at Corstorphine Primary School to serve up the One Hundred Millionth school meal served under the scheme in Scotland.
Mairi Gougeon, Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment, joined pupils for their Christmas lunch to serve up the landmark meal, before sitting down with students to sample the award-winning fare. Pupils enjoyed traditional roast turkey with all the trimmings, followed by ice-cream and homemade Christmas biscuits. Festive musical accompaniment was provided by the Corstorphine Primary Choir.
The Soil Association Scotland’s Food for Life Scotland programme has been running since 2008 with the aim of supporting councils to get more Scottish food onto school dinner plates and serve healthy, sustainable meals.
Since the scheme began, 11 Scottish local authorities have achieved the independently-assessed Food for Life Served Here award, which recognises councils that are serving school meals made from fresh ingredients, using free-range eggs and high-welfare meat, and free from genetically modified ingredients and undesirable additives.
Today, more than 100,000 Food for Life school meals are served every day in Scotland.
Mairi Gougeon, Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment, said “We want more children to enjoy healthy food in their school meals that is grown, sourced and produced in Scotland. The Food for Life Served Here programme is helping us to achieve that and I am delighted to be joining children in Edinburgh for their school Christmas dinner to celebrate this significant milestone.
“The programme helps us to deliver on our shared ambition with the food and drink sector, to find new market opportunities, helping to sustain and grow their businesses, whilst bolstering the local economy and improving our children’s health.”
Sarah Duley, Food for Life Scotland Programme Manager at Soil Association Scotland, said: "Food for Life Scotland works in partnership with local authorities across the country to put good food on the table as the norm, not an exception. One hundred million school meals which are good for pupils’ health, support thriving local economies, and protect Scotland’s natural environment is certainly cause for celebration.
“This milestone is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all the local authority catering staff who source and serve good food day in, day out. We’re thrilled to recognise their success and look forward to working with even more of Scotland’s local authorities in the future.”