Contaminated Beef Products Containing Horse Meat - Information for Parents
A number of UK processed beef products have been found to contain traces of horse meat
All school food in Flintshire schools must comply with strict standards. These standards mean that the meal served as part of a school lunch is nutritionally balanced and, that wherever possible, the meal is freshly cooked on the school site using fresh produce. The standards restrict processed foods, which often contain a lot of fat, salt and sugar from going onto Flintshire school menus.
This means that Flintshire schools will not be using the types of processed meat products that have been found to contain horse meat or traces of horse
Certain processed products such as beef burgers are still used as part of Flintshire school menus, but these are very limited and must meet the nutritional standards set for school meals.
Flintshire schools meals service already procure (buy) food to a very high standard and we have put quality measures in place to make sure that the food suppliers we use conform to all food safety standards, nutritional standards, hygiene regulations and follow all food standards set by Government bodies such as the Food Standards Agency.
In addition to these existing measures we have also sought new reassurances from our suppliers and have asked suppliers to confirm that:
- They are not affected by the meat processors involved in the contaminated meat products.
- That they have separate production lines or production days to avoid cross-contamination of products.
- That they are carrying out additional testing on products such as swab tests and
- That they are complying with any new guidance or best practice recommended by official agencies in terms of meat production.
These measures mean that the risk of a child eating contaminated meat products is much less in terms of school meals than ready meals or ‘value’ brands consumed at home or in other catering settings.
What should worried parents do?
Parents who are worried about school meals should rest assured that Flintshire School caterers are committed to the highest standards in school food and nutrition. Local authority procurement rules also safeguard against poor practice in purchasing food for use in school meals. Therefore, if you are considering removing a child from the school meals service we would urge parents to first seek advice from the school and the school caterer about their concerns.
Parents should assess the benefits to their child of a hot healthy school lunch. A hot healthy school lunch has many positive benefits on health and learning, compared to the very minimal risks posed by the remote possibility of contaminated meat products in school food. Parents are already aware of the temptation, particularly amongst older pupils, to consume unhealthy takeaway foods loaded with saturated fats, salt and sugar which are very harmful to health. These products are not suitable alternatives to a healthy school lunch.
The nutritional based standards and huge improvements in school meals, with the use of freshly prepared food, rather than pre-cooked 'ready meals' and product traceability will help to avoid any major contamination issues within Flintshire school meals. Rigorous standards are in place to safeguard school food and may go beyond those which parents could reasonably achieve at home. Indeed most parents, cooking for children at home, do not unfortunately have access to food supplier information which caterers in a school setting are able to access and this should help to reassure parents.