Achieving Food For Life Served Here

What does it mean to achieve a Food for Life Served Here Award? 

Food for Life Scotland has created a video to raise awareness about what it means to achieve a Food for Life Served Here (FFLSH) award. Councils that hold the award for their school meals will always be serving food that complies with national nutritional guidelines, with the majority freshly prepared from scratch using unprocessed ingredients, using only:

• higher welfare meat,
• sustainable fish and
• free-range eggs.

As well as food that’s always free from undesirable additives, trans fats, and genetically modified ingredients, and with menus that make the most of seasonal ingredients and locally sourced produce, prepared by skilled and knowledgeable catering staff.

With half of Scotland’s local authorities now proud holders of a FFLSH award, we are celebrating their successes and calling on more local authorities to sign up to join the good food movement.  

As the Scottish Government announces its commitment to the expansion of Universal Free School Meals (UFSM) for primary school children from August and renews its commitment to the ‘Good Food Nation’ Bill, there has never been a better time to focus efforts on getting sustainably produced, locally sourced and freshly prepared food into even more schools. There is now a great opportunity to ensure the power of public spending goes towards creating a sustainable food system in Scotland.  

We’re proud to say that many of the local authorities we work with are going above and beyond to serve food that benefits their communities. 

To name just a few of our amazing award holders, the Shetland Islands’ catering team is providing a menu that is 96% freshly prepared - one of the highest levels in Scotland, while West Lothian Council has ensured 95% of fresh butcher meat – and 88% of all meat – served in its primary schools is now sourced from Scotland.

North Ayrshire Council has taken the opportunity to work with Woodside Farm to bring locally grown sustainably produced vegetables to school meals on the Isle of Arran. There are countless other examples of local authorities, catering staff, and producers working together to source and serve fresh, local, and sustainable food in schools.  

As Scotland prepares to host COP-26 in November, here at Food for Life Scotland we’re hoping to support more local authorities to achieve the FFLSH award to reap the benefits for the environment, economy, and health.

Please share our video and help raise awareness of what it means to hold a FFLSH award. Together we can ensure good food is the easy choice for every school in Scotland.