Reassurance for Shropshire parents over horse meat scare

Parents of schoolpupils in Shropshire are being reminded that the meat used in school meals is from the UK, and from local farms wherever possible. 

There has been widespread concern over the content of some convenience and processed foods, which was found to contain horse meat wrongly labelled as beef, on sale in some supermarkets. 

Shropshire Council’s catering arm, Shire Services, provides fresh meals to about 200 schools and has moved to reassure parents about the source of meat used in the meals. 

Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for education and skills, said:

“Our school meals never contain processed foods and only use meat from UK farms, or indeed farms from Shropshire whenever possible, so there is no need for anyone to be concerned in the wake of the recent news reports. 

“We place a great deal of importance to where ingredients come from.  Meat used in the production of our meals is British, and prepared for use under Farm assured standards.  Our suppliers are visited annually, where documentation of traceability is inspected, and all distributors conform to the British retail consortium trading and accreditation standards.  School meals are healthy and nutritious, and are hugely popular with parents and pupils alike.” 

For more information about Shire Services, click here: http://shropshire.gov.uk/shireservices.nsf